“Overruled” by Lana Ferguson is such a fun, spicy read! Danica and Ezra are top tier divorce lawyers who battle it out in court by day and share a bed by night. Cue the tension, banter, and major slow burn vibes! Dani & Ezra’s banter and chemistry throughout the book is fantastic. She has black cat energy toward him and he loves to annoy her as often as possible, just for another taste of her “Sour Patch” personality. There’s quite a bit of spice in this book, but it doesn’t over power the plot. There are twists and turns throughout the story and it was honestly a very entertaining read. Danica swears love is a lost cause, while Ezra is out here trying to prove her wrong. This was the exact opposite of a slow burn. Their chemistry is electric! Lana nails the balance between steam and emotional depth, making this book both spicy and heartfelt. I loved that it was a dual POV story. It makes it so much easier to see why the MCs fall for each other when you get both perspectives. It also allows you to get both of their thoughts, insights and feelings. “Overruled” is a must-read for fans of enemies-to-lovers romances seeking a story filled with tension, passion, and heartfelt moments. I cannot wait to read more from Lana in the future. Thanks to Lana Ferguson, Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts.

i wasn’t sure if i would like this at first because im not a fan of already established dynamics— but Dani and Ezra already sleeping together didn’t bother me. i also thought the whole “rival divorce lawyer” plot line would bore me, but i actually enjoyed the courtroom scenes too. Dani was a bit frustrating in the beginning with all her back and forth over Ezra, she just had to learn for herself that there was more to him than she thought. i loved Ezra’s mom, she’s so sweet and Dani’s two friends were fun as well. i think both of the characters have convinced themselves that they have to have a hardened shell for the outside world, so seeing them be domestic and open up to each other was what they both needed. Ezra might be outwardly confident but he’s got so many things he feels he has no control over and Dani is the only person who can make him feel at ease. i’m glad he stood up for himself at the end and things resolved more quickly after.. that epilogue was so cute.

I loved every moment of this! The banter, the tension, the SPICE—everything was so good. Ezra and Dani’s dynamic created the perfect blend of steam, romance, and emotional depth/character growth.

I can always rely on Lana Ferguson to DELIVER on amazing banter, heat, and humor.

This was such a perfect easy palate cleanser of a read for me. The story has just enough plot to balance the smut (which was pretty good!) and character development as well. The FMC was a little annoying, especially with how much she dwelled on her family's history, but it was relatively minor in the grand scheme of things and the book was enjoyable overall.

4.25 STARS ⭐

Overruled by Lana Ferguson was an enemies with benefits romance with a touch of angst . This is the third book I've read by this author and I'm obsessed!

I found Danica to be a bit jaded at moments. She's this fierce, lady boss lawyer but she allows her feelings about her parents' marriage and the end of a previous relationship to overrule her heart.

It was so easy to fall for Ezra and his charm. He wasn't afraid to show how he felt towards Danica. He too has some emotional baggage. But when it comes to Dani, he falls hard and opens his heart to her so easily 🥹.

Ugh, I just loved the banter between these two. The tension was palpable, especially since they're rivals in the same case. The back and forth was divine. There were moments that had me laughing. Also, I loved the secondary characters. I'm wishing for the story of a certain couple iykyk 😮‍💨. I wouldn't recommend this book more 👏🏼.

Overruled centered on two sharp-witted lawyers—Ezra and Dani—on opposing sides of a legal case, and it delivered exactly what you'd expect from that setup: clever courtroom banter, enemies-to-lovers tension, and undeniable chemistry. The story leaned into the drama and attraction between them with a fast-paced, contemporary romance structure.

The back-and-forth between them was a highlight—their snappy exchanges felt natural and added a great rhythm to the plot. There was definite heat between them, though it was a bit more open-door than I anticipated because this is my first Lana Ferguson novel.

I appreciated Dani’s determination, especially when it came to her career and setting boundaries. Still, I found myself wishing her friends and co-workers had played a bigger role in the story—they had the potential to bring more balance to her arc. Also, her constant denial of feelings for Ezra started to drag after a while, even if it made their eventual shift feel earned.

#BerkleyPartner #Berkley

Overruled by @lanafergusonwrites is a sexy and charming enemies-to-lovers story with ALOT of angsty moments! 🥰

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I knew I would enjoy reading Overruled when the first page starts out steamy as f***! Danica and Ezra’s chemistry was soooo electric and their banter was top-notch. Who knew that court cases would be considered a form of foreplay?!?! 🥵

I fully expected this to be a fun rom-com about rival lawyers! However, I never expected the emotional storyline about Ezra’s family. It was very dark at times, and made me cry more times than I can admit. Lana took great care of telling a portion of the book in a realistic yet delicate way, which I appreciated.

Danica’s very loving relationship with her parents was tense at times, but it resolved in a beautiful way! It was nice to read about a family who cares about one another and allowed Danica to express her complicated feelings in a healthy way.

One of the best parts of Overruled was the amazing and hilarious side characters! Vera and Nate have my whole heart and they were so perfect together. Also, the nicknames that Ezra and Danica gave to each other were absolutely adorable (I mean Sour Patch and A**hole?!?!? What’s not to love?) 🥹

All in all, Overruled is the perfect workplace romance that tugs at your heartstrings and makes you giggle/kick your feet while reading! 👩🏻‍💼🩷🧑‍💼⚖️

QOTD: What was your dream job growing up?

Thank you to @berkleyromance and @netgalley for the opportunity to read/review this ARC! 🤩📚

🏷️: #overruled #lanaferguson #review #bookrecommendation #bookstagram #BerkleyBookstagram

Overruled by Lana Ferguson 💙
Standalone

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Romance
ARC Review
432 Pages
🗓️ July 1st

💙hate to love
💕no strings to more
💙rivals to lovers
💕he falls first and harder
💙dual POV

❣️ “You’re being purposefully infuriating.” “There’s no one I want to purposefully infuriate more than you, Dani.”

❣️ “Unfortunately, you keep getting more tolerable by the minute.”

I’ve now read three of Lana Ferguson’s books. I loved them all. But this one! This one is the book of my heart. This one is the one I would be praising for-e-ver.

We get thrown into the middle of the action. And by action I mean love story and by love story I mean casual whatever. And I was immediately hoping they would be the couple (nope, I did not read the blurb). One prologue was all it took to have me feeling the feels for both Ezra and Dani. Worry not, apparently the blurb is right — I’ve read it since — and they are indeed the ones we follow. And I do mean I would follow them. To the very end of the literary world.

The nuances of their conflicts — for lack of a better world, both between them and with other people, had me thinking. And I love when a book does that. When a book helps me think, shows me other sides, other angles. When it helps me empathize… with, yes, fictional people. Fictional they might be but I’m 100% sure is not only fictional people experiencing these events and trying to overcome their hurt this way.

The last 40% of the book was consumed above speed limits. And I wouldn’t even know how to do it differently.

Thank you @lanafergusonwrites @berkleyromance @berkleypub and @netgalley for this free eARC.

5 stars of perfection from the queen of witty banter and tension (even when they're already doing it lol). thank you so much to berkleyromance #berkleypartner for the finished copy + arc, and to prhaudio for the #gifted audiobook. did i start this book on audio, then read the last 50% in paperback, only to start from the beginning with the paperback and finish it again in audio? yes, yes i did.

this book had everything i love about a lana ferguson book, including some incredible chemistry + spice, but with heavier topics around divorce, parental neglect, family pressures, and ex-boyfriends who destroy your trust in relationships. lana writes smart characters, which i devour, but she also writes tender characters who are going through real things. i particularly loved the set-up of this one... dani + ezra are work nemeses (which is a horrible word, by the way... doesn't it hurt your eyes? lol) but also hookup buddies. dani tells ezra EVERY TIME that it's the last time. but he scratches an itch that no one else does, AND he likes her when she's prickly.

and THE FREAKING AUDIOBOOK IS DUAL POV + SO FANTASTIC. freaking connor crais with that sexy deep voice playing ezra...... whoooooo. is it getting hot in here? i loved everything about connor's performance + samantha summers was a fantastic prickly pear dani.

read if you love:
- black cat x golden retriever
- rivals in the workplace
- lawyer x lawyer
- hook-ups with feelings
- text messages
- the cutest nicknames (HE CALLS HER SOUR PATCH + IT'S MY FAVORITE THING)
- rivals-to-f^(k buddies-to-lovers
- he'll keep chasing her
- he'll prove that he will stay when no one else does
- spicyyyy + sweet

🅾︎🆅🅴🆁🆁🆄🅻🅴🅳
𝚋𝚢: 𝙻𝚊𝚗𝚊 𝙵𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚘𝚗

𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕪𝕠𝕦 🫶🏻 @berkleyromance for free book and @prhaudio for the #gifted audiobook. #berkleypartner #berkley  All opinions are my own.

𝔽𝕒𝕧𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕖 𝕢𝕦𝕠𝕥𝕖 💕
“You love me?”
“I love you.”
“Forever?”
“We’ll see.”

𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪 ✏️
Dani and Ezra are competing divorce lawyers who are constantly battling it out in the courtroom but also can’t seem to keep their hands off one another when they’re anywhere else.

𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 💭
Am I blushing, because I’m probably still blushing 🤭 The banter and snark in this one is as off the charts as the spice and it is perfection! I listened to Overruled in one sitting and laughed out loud the whole time. There are definite Hating Game vibes, which I loved and Ezra is just the sweetest MMC. The writing is so easy and fun. I absolutely loved it!!

If you are looking for a spicy romance with a lot of heart then this is it!!

ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕚𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕝𝕚𝕜𝕖 📖
✩ Work Rivals
✩ He Falls First
✩ Dual POV
✩ Tons of Spice
✩ Amazing banter

𝔸𝕦𝕕𝕚𝕠 ℕ𝕠𝕥𝕖𝕤 🎧
The audio was ridiculously good! It’s a dual narration 🙌🏻 and Samantha Summers and Connor Crais were both fantastic. I would highly recommend it if that’s your thing!

OVERRULED is out in the world with a bang 💥

No, literally. The prologue starts mid-banging.

I am consistently blown away by Lana’s ability to deliver banter, tension and a hot hot romance all while making me laugh.

Ezra and Dani’s dynamic is unlike anything that we have seen from Lana before. The hate that Dani has for Ezra yet wanting him so bad ‘I don’t WANT to want you’ 🥵

Ezra is such soft boi yearning vibes and I was here for it.

OVERRULED is the quintessential enemies to lovers read of the summer. Your heart will be racing from anticipation and spice and you’ll love EVERY SECOND OF IT 👏🏻

Wow, color me surprised. Just when I thought I needed to give up on Lana Ferguson she releases A BANGER!!!! I really loved then nanny, but all of her follow up novels fell really flat for me, but this one was a welcome surprise.

I loved Dani and Ezra, I think what I liked about this that she is missing from her other novels is the character work. It is not insta love and it really takes getting to know Ezra for Dani to actually fall for him. They have always had the sexual connection but she doesn’t give him the time of day until they start to talk and it really worked for me.

The sub plot of the divorce trial was also interesting enough to hold my attention when I was reading about the golden lab that is Ezra.

I am pleasantly surprised with this one!!!

Dani and Ezra are opposing council in a high profile divorce case in this enemies-with-benefits, workplace romance. If Dani wins the case, she has the opportunity to be promoted to partner, but first she has to beat Ezra, who knows how to charm both in and out of the courtroom.

I had a lot of fun with this one. Lana’s books are always a fun time, with lots of spice, some drama, and all the banter. I loved Dani and Ezra’s interactions both in and out of court. They had so much chemistry and I loved watching them duke it out! The spice was so delicious, as always! All of their behind-closed-doors sneaking around added some wildness to the story, and I loved how sassy Dani was! We could see through Ezra’s POV how down bad he was for her, so waiting for Dani to catch on was a delight.

I listened on audio and had such a grand time! Samantha as Dani perfectly captured her sassiness and the strong but vulnerable woman that she was. I thought she did an amazing job in bringing her to life! And Connor as Ezra was delicious. He really made Ezra’s character into such a leading man with his intonation and the way he spoke his lines. This one done as a duet was so so good as it added even more to the tension and chemistry between the pair!

If you want a spicy and fun workplace romance, look no further than Overruled! Lana never fails to deliver when it comes to sassy and sweet, and I highly recommend checking this out on audio!

Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for the arc/alc!

Thank you to PRHAudio for the free audiobook and Berkley for the free book.

This might be my new favorite Lana?! It starts off with a bang (literally) and then you slowly find out why these two people with lots of spicy chemistry are hiding behind said chemistry in fear of developing anything deeper. But of course he falls first and harder and delicately makes his moves. Lana's spice is always fire but I thought the plot was well balanced in this as well. The court case side plot was relevant but it was a perfect representation of a dynamic years down the road that both characters were scared to find themselves in. So to be on opposite sides of that battle but in a great amount of conflict.

Also, can I defend the FMC for a second. I know at face value she has "nothing to complain about" because her parents are divorced but never stopped being best friends and never stopped creating a safe space and family for the FMC. BUT can we all acknowledge that it's not typical for parents to secretly not be in love whatsoever but appearing to be until surprise divorcing when their kid turns 18. I totally get "staying together for the kids" is a thing, but most of the time in those cases those parents are still in love or think they are or are trying to make their relationship work that whole time and/or fighting/very visibly not compatible. It almost feels worse to me in a gaslighty way that it was such a surprise to her. And of course a person would crash out worse when told to just get over it instead of just being like yeah I'm glad they still all get along well together but that must've such a shock. I get why it could be hard for her to trust what is romantic love vs friendly or familial love vs convenient companionship, all she's seen is friendship love and thought it was romantic love. Sorry for the TedTalk!! I just thought it was a unique backstory to explore and I didn't find the FMC annoying.

Thanks for the free book @berkleypub!
I received this copy in exchange for an honest review.
Overruled by Lana Ferguson
3.5 stars ⭐️
Dani and Ezra have an enemies with benefits relationship. They're both lawyers from competing law firms and are often on opposing sides of the courtroom. Dani always thought of Ezra as an entitled pain, but as she gets to know the real him, their arrangement becomes blurry. Which complicates their courtroom rivalry in their latest divorce case, which just so happens to be the biggest case Dani has worked on.
This was a messy and fun read! Dani and Ezra had great banter and the tension was definitely tensioning. I had a hard time overlooking their conflict of interest in the case they were working. I liked the woman Dani was representing and I thought she deserved to know. I also wish that I got to see more of why Dani had a change of heart about Ezra.

overruled was an enemies-with-benefits sort of forbidden love set up between to lawyers on opposing sides of a high-profile divorce. there’s sneaking around and so much hate 💥 my jaw was on the floor!!!! i loved dani and her snark. ezra was so gone for her and I loved getting his povs just to see how much. the court case was really fun to read about too!!

🎧 samantha summers read for dani and she did so well!!! and connor crais read for ezra and he’s quickly become one of my new fav narrators. I’ll listen to anything he reads. the duet narration was perfection and I highly recommend this one on audio!!

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘺.

Two lawyers on opposing counsel, who hook up? SOLD. And hear me out; he calls her sour patch! I know it seems cheesy, but it's so dang cute when he does it. 🤭 He is absolutely into her, and she refuses to call it anything but "one last time." She's prickly, and I absolutely loved it. The case had me completely invested - as did Ezra's family. I loved Bianca from the very first meeting and she had me so emotional the more she unpacked. Lana never disappoints. The banter is 10/10 and the spice was not lacking! 🔥

↳ Enemies with Benefits
↳ Rival Lawyers
↳ Grumpy x Sunshine
↳ He Falls First
↳ Dual POV
↳ Open Door Romance
↳ "One Last Time"

𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘶𝘵. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰.

𝘐𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥? 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳, 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪.

“𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘱.”

Thank you to the publisher for the free eARC and thank you to PRH Audio for the free ALC!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Ezra and Dani are rival attorneys caught in the middle of a high profile divorce case…and their own increasingly complicated feelings.

As a lawyer, I’m always equal parts nervous and excited to consume any media involving the law. While this wasn’t exactly a legal documentary, it was FAR from the most glaringly inaccurate portrayal I’ve ever seen, and I appreciated that it didn’t shy away from making the case and legal procedure an actual part of the plot.

Legal technicalities aside, this was a really fun rom com overall. It was SUPER spicy (maybe Lana’s spiciest yet, which is saying something!) and I was really rooting for Ezra and Dani. Also I will never ever be over Purrgood Marshall.

Recommended for a fun and spicy summer read!

CW: Suicide; emotional abuse; infidelity (not between MCs); divorce

Overruled is a steamy romance about two rival divorce lawyers, Danica and Ezra, who try to keep things casual, but end up catching real feelings. Their chemistry is strong from the start, and the banter between them makes the story fun and fast paced. I enjoyed how their relationship slowly shifted from physical attraction to something deeper, even as they faced off in the courtroom.
Ezra was a sweet surprise, supportive, respectful, and clearly in love with Dani. Dani’s fear of love added tension, though at times her reactions, especially around her parents, felt a bit immature. The legal setting added a fun twist, and the mix of heat and emotion kept me hooked.
Very grateful to the publisher @berkleyromance for my #gifted copy through @netgalley , opinions are my own

Rounding my 4.5 rating up to 5. This was my first book by Lana Ferguson and it was the perfect palette cleansing book. It was a cute workplace romance where he falls first (and hard) which is one of my FAV tropes. We have our FMC, Danica, and our MMC, Ezra, who are lawyers at different firms and end up as opposing counsel in a big, important divorce case. Ezra and his backstory were so much more interesting to me than Danica (like girl, go to therapy) but overall, it's a perfect beach read. I finished it in one day because it was such a quick and easy read that tugged on my heartstrings.