I’ve known that Lana LOVES this book with her whole heart and while reading it I could just tell!! Lana’s writing is always so good! It’s always so easy to read but also so layered. The spice in her books is ALWAYS TOP TIER. The legal proceedings were super interesting, I know literally knowing about law, but I found myself really engaged and there were so many twists and turns!! It made for such a good subplot! And the rest!!! It was fun and sexy and the best kind of rivals to lovers?? Enemies with benefits??? because Ezra was SOOOOOOO in love the whole time and Dani was OBVIOUSLY just sticking around because the benefits were GOOD!

I honestly loved Dani and Ezra. Their banter was TOP TIER. Their chemistry was absolutely fantastic. They were such a good match for one another and seeing them FINALLY open up with each other was SO GOOD!! Ezra really is that man! Like I said before he was SO DOWN BAD and seeing himself holding back because he didn’t want to scare Dani away?? Because he knew she was worth it?? I love him so much!! And sweet sweet Dani! She had been hurt before and she was scared to get hurt again…but she also knew that once she gave in…there was no going back!!!

The family drama on both sides was… a lot. Ezra’s family was a literal nightmare?? And Dani seemingly made such a big deal over her parents divorce…which as a child of divorce I GET!! It’s not a fun time!!! but also all of her parents and step partners are FRIENDS and they love her so much?? Idk that just didn’t work for me.

Thank you so much to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Lana has out done herself with this one! I’ve read all her book and this is hands down the best one yet. Rivals with benefits will always hit. I absolutely loved both characters they were so stubborn yet perfect for each other

First, thank you for the opportunity to read this early. What a fun book. Excellent banter, fun characters, and a wild story. Really enjoyed it.

This book was everything i needed and more! Lana is a must read author to me and I just knew this book was going to SERVE!!!

I won’t go into details but i just loved the bickering, the tension, the tug and pull. I couldn’t get enough.

i am ever so slightly conflicted on this one, so i am going to try and list out the things i liked vs. disliked as i feel that'll be the easiest way to get my feelings across!!

things i liked:
- lana's writing, i always love her writing style and how easy it is to digest her books, and this one is no exception
- i find the spice in lana's books to always be written very well
- loved the chemistry between the characters, felt very believable and their 'banter' was fun
- the sub plot of the legal proceedings in this one was SUPER interesting to me
- the sprinkling of a lil romance between the side characters was so fun (although i will say i almost wanted to hear their story more than the main characters one haha)things i didn't like as much:
- i feel like the romantic connection was slightly lacking - the chemistry was definitely there but i didn't feel that overwhelming romantic connection between them
- part of me feels like the MMC in this kinda deserved better....which isn't something i say often about men lol
- the FMC was kinda mean!!!!!!!!The characters are supposed to be in their thirty's I believe? It's a little hard to believe when these two have so many issues with their parents. To a degree I can understand Ezra's circumstances. He comes from a wealthy family. His father is a big powerhouse attorney name. It made a little more sense to me why he may have some daddy issues that are difficult to navigate.

I love this author. I have read a lot by this author and have loved every book I have come across. I was sucked into this book from the first page and wished I had more story to read.

More like a 3.75 stars!! I really like Lana Ferguson’s sense of humour (which is something I’m quite picky about in books!) and the romcom vibes were served here!!! I really liked Ezra and Dani’s dynamic — how he falls first and HARD, how patient and understanding he is, how things were paced in a way that made sense for them — and both of them as characters!!

What I didn’t love as much was the ratio of physical relationship to emotional relationship between them, I think some more scenes of development and conversation and fluff would have been nice!! I also feel like Ezra’s family drama was built up SO much throughout the book just for it to be resolved quite quickly/easily. I think more on that would have been interesting to see! Still enjoyed overall!!

This book was everything I wanted and more. Lana sure knows how to write a steamy, smutty, gut wrenching, devastating story. Dani is such a powerhouse of a FMC. She is smart, confident, powerful, everything one could want.... in the courtroom at least. Ezra is intimidating, broody, decisive, demanding... when he is on the case. Both characters are such amazing lawyers and dramatic people, but they are hiding struggles of their pasts. Dani is facing gut wrenching insecurities. Ezra has his own demons to battle. This situationship - turned rivals - turned reluctant more than one night stands - turned lovers is such a refreshingly light and yet still incredibly deep love story that I cannot wait to read again.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this arc.

A local romance bookstore owner recommended Lana Ferguson as an author she loves. Trusting her judgement, I read "The Fake Mate" and enjoyed it. While I will continue to devour Lana Ferguson books, I think"Overruled" was even better.

When reading an enemies-to-lovers, I look for really witty banter. This book had that. FMC Dani and MMC Ezra are opposing counsels on several court cases, including a high-profile divorce case that drives the plot of this book. There is also a lot of family drama and nuances for both lead characters, that helps drive them together.

From the first chapter, I really felt the sexual tension between these two characters was strong. You get why they like each other but also can't stay away from each other.

While this is a romance book, I also thought the additional plot of the divorce case unfolding and Ezra's families back story kept me engaged. I had a hard time putting this book down!

I have "Under Loch and Key" on my nightstand and can't wait to get started reading it- especially if it's even a fraction as fun as "Overruled!"

4 stars
Dani and Ezra have sizzling banter. Dani, a divorce lawyer, has an enemies-with-benefits relationship with Ezra. Ezra wants to convince Dani that they can be more, that she is worth staying. Dani has a hard time letting people in. What's the point of starting a relationship when it's going to end and inevitably hurt each other? It happened to her parents and every client she has. There's no such thing as a civil divorce, she says.

I like how in the end, Dani grovels (a little). She thanks Ezra in showing that she is worth staying and now she wants to prove that to him. He is worth staying for too.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. All opinion are my own

ARC Review: Overruled by Lana Ferguson
Pub Date: July 1, 2025

Thank you @berkleyromance for the #gifted copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

HOLY HEAT batman!!! Lana always knows how to bring the spice but this book is just on a whole new level and boy did I eat it up like popcorn. I am obsessed with everything here - Ezra's smirks, Dani's prickliness, Purrgood Marshall, the chemistry...just AH! It was so so good! The chemistry just leapt off of the page - I already can't wait to reread/listen because I just know it's going to be fire.

I was really worried about one particular plot line and actually paused the book for a few days because I didn't know if I could handle it - but I returned to it and was actually very pleasantly surprised with how it was handled in a way that was actually really lovely. The external plots that happen throughout the book really allow for some great depth for both characters and get you in both of their corners.

Read for:
- He falls first (and hard)
- Black Cat FMC
- Rivals to Lovers
- So much Chemistry
- Desk Sex
- Rival Divorce Attorneys
- Nicknames

I wanted to like this book, since I have liked the author's other books, but it just felt like a slog. And I hate a breakup in the 3rd act. I thought she handled the parental trauma well but the twist felt so foreshadowed that I spent most of the book waiting for the other shoe to drop. I liked that the FMC was the one with the grumpy vibes this time. I think the audiobook would likely elevate it.

Ezra and Dani are both lawyers who are competing against each other in a divorce case, while also having benefits on the side. As they continue their case and explore their relationship with each other, feelings begin to grow.
I really enjoyed this book because it discussed difficulties that many people go through, for example, divorced parents and overbearing parents. Ezra has a very overbearing father and we dive very deep into this. Dani has parents who divorced when she was 17, and we dive into how their divorce has affected her. Adding these plot lines really added depth to the characters. Lana Ferguson did an amazing job at showing the characters flaws as well, as we are not all perfect.
Dani and Ezra are so adorable, and I love that he fell first so much. He treats her so well, even when she is scared to admit feelings.

I enjoyed this romcom from Lana Ferguson! It was a nice enemies to lovers romance with witty banter and a very intriguing backstory of family and drama. I’ll recommend this to all my friends for a nice summer read. Thanks to netgalley for the arc!

I adore Lana Ferguson, and this book was just as amazing as all her others! I absolutely adored both the characters and loved watching Character growth as well which I find rare in a rom com.

I continue to be impressed with Lana Ferguson's range in terms of genres - she's done contemporary, paranormal, hockey, and now a workplace enemies to lovers story about two successful divorce attorneys. I think it might actually be more like an enemies *and* lovers story since there's quite a lot of hooking up while the two main characters - Dani and Ezra - continue to be enemies both in and out of the courtroom. I liked the fact that both Dani and Ezra have marriage-related baggage from their parents' relationships (though in very different ways) and that it clearly impacts the way they approach their divorce cases. Throughout most of the book, they're opposing counsel on a case that's supposed to make Dani's career by giving her a chance to make partner, but Ezra is getting all kinds of pressure to succeed by his dad (a truly horrible person, wow). It probably wasn't my favorite ever workplace romance, but I love a grumpy/acerbic female lead, and I definitely felt like Dani deserved that description. Also, there was a pretty awesome cat. Content warning for emotional abuse from a parent, and past suicidal ideation/self harm (described on page).

Lana I bow to you. No one writes more broadly in romance and just switches up sub-genre so much and I eat up every single one. I loved every second of this one. And it was spicyyyyy. I love an enemies-to-lovers, hate sex, all the things. And of course, it only works if he never really hated her at all. Thank you Lana, can't wait for the next one!

Overruled by Lana Ferguson was fun and flirty, I always enjoy reading Lana's stories. This was a lighthearted read to get you out of any reading slump. overall would recommend, thank you net galley for the ARC!

Overruled by Lana Ferguson is a sweet, funny romance with the classic "enemies to lovers" dynamic. The protagonist is relatable, the leading man is endearing and the plot is delightful. Definitely would recommend!

Thank you to Lana and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
This was such a cute and fun read. I loved the enemies to lovers trope in this one, and seeing the chemistry blossom between our two lawyers was so fun. The banter was on point.
I think my favourite character in this was Bianca though.
As a secondary character I felt the most for her, and her emotional strife. Yet she was as she put it "a powerful woman" and carried through.
I think if you love enemies to lovers and when a book makes you chuckle throughout, you will love Overruled. Not to say that it doesn't have its sad and angry moments but overall it's a good and happy read.