This was such a fun audiobook for me! I loved narrator Cindy Kay from the Twisted series, but I believe its my first time listening to JF Harding and he’s also fantastic! Loved them both!

On to the story itself! I’ve been LOVING an enemies to lovers troupe lately! There’s just so much tension and angst and this book didn’t disappoint! And ohhh boy there was definitely some spiciness going on here! 🔥🤭

Poor Micah! I really felt for her and how she got burned. I feel so much injustice towards her…. But this is a romance and things do tend to work themselves out 😅. I loved that Aiden knew what he wanted and literally just WENT FOR IT! 😆. This was a really fun rom com for me! So I hope you go read/listen to this too!

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸…
💚Enemies to Lovers
💚Workplace Romance
💚FMC finds her passion
💚Interracial
💚Fun Banter
💚 Dual POV
💚Open Door

I received an advance listening copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I love the super nerdy romance in this enemies to lovers story! Micah is the auditor who is consulting with the university to determine if Aiden’s department - the English Department is staffed appropriately among other things. Things are tense between this couple at work, but at home it is a different story. Aiden writes spicy Shakespearean fanfic and Micah is ann eager and unknowing reader. Sparks fly when revelations are made. Lots of witty banter in this engaging romance. The audio was great with J. F. Harding and Cindy Kay who brought the characters to life. Thank you to Harlequin Audio for the ALC. The opinions are all my own.

I wanted to love Much Ado About Hating You, but it...just didn't work for me. It had promise--enemies to lovers, a flirty connection online, Shakespearean fan fic! But yeah. I listened to the whole thing, but I kinda wish I'd DNF'ed. It felt like fan fiction about writing fan fiction, and it was ridiculously horny. So many steamy scenes. Sometimes several chapters in a row. But if that's what you like, then you might really love this one. Just like I sometimes use chips as a queso delivery system, this plot felt like its only purpose was to prop up an endless stream of sexy times. Maybe I just read it at the wrong part of my cycle, but I am not horny enough for this book. (That's my weird way of saying it might have been me, not the book, that had the problem. Or at the very least--maybe the book wasn't bad. Maybe I just wasn't the right reader for the book.)

Thank you to Harlequin Audio for the ALC. The narrators, Cindy Ka and J.. F. Harding, both did a great job. Unfortunately, I just didn't love the book.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story narrated by Cindy Kay and JF Harding. This story had some really good things and some that I didn't enjoy as much. I loved the narration. JF and Cindy did an amazing job with that. I liked the premise of secret writers that hate each, turned secret pen pals, turned lovers. Loved the smexual tension between them and I love how supportive Micah was of Aidan with his father issues, and how supportive Aidan was of Micah's writing. On the other hand, the steamy scenes didn't do much for me. I also disliked how childish Aiden was regarding Micah's job. Otherwise, the story does have some great banter and again, the narration was perfect.

3.5**
This was a fun and quick listen. The narrators did a great job making this book easy to follow and easy to fall into.
The premise alone was definitely silly and I really enjoyed the petty back and forth banter and prank wars.
That being said the progression of their relationship felt pretty rushed and lacked some much needed yearning/angst.
Even with the rushed progression I did fly through this in just a few hours and it would be a perfect vacation/travel read.

Much Ado About Hating You is a fun, flirty enemies-to-lovers romance that delivers on humor, heat, and heart. Sarah Echavarre Smith’s writing is sharp and witty, and the chemistry between the leads is undeniable. The spicy moments definitely lived up to the hype—there’s no shortage of tension or steamy banter here!

That said, while the story was thoroughly enjoyable, I did find myself wishing for a bit more character development. The emotional depth didn’t always match the intensity of the romance, and a deeper dive into the protagonists' backstories and motivations could have made their connection even more compelling.

Overall, it's a good read if you’re in the mood for something entertaining and steamy with a playful tone—but it might leave you wanting just a little bit more from the characters themselves.

Thank you to Sarah Echavarre Smith, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC!

I got this as an audiobook (ALC) and I actually really enjoyed it!!! This was 4.5 stars and 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️!! I couldn’t put this down and I literally listened to it in 4 hours because I needed moreeeee!!!

It started hot and ended hot! Although I don’t love miscommunication trope, everything else was so enjoyable. The spicy scenes were soooo spicy and I thought the drama between our FMC and MMC were very realistic.

I liked seeing their journey and navigating through the life struggles they have individually and how they helped each other. When it comes to dating and exes they say you shouldn’t compare but the reality is, we do. And what matters and what sticks with us is how those around us make us feel when life gets a little rough.

This was guaranteed HEA with forced proximity, rivals to lovers, and secret identity tropes. If you love Shakespeare, you’ll get some lovely fanfic in here as well!!

You’ll get some lovely snippets of life as a daughter of a really close knit Filipino family! The FMC was called “anak” by their mom, and there was some good food on display here and it was a million chefs kisses for me because that’s what my mom calls me and food is definitely Filipino love language!

I would say some of the spicy scenes had words that got a little repetitive. But otherwise they were pleasant and the narrators did a great great job setting the scene and atmosphere. I didn’t cringe and they didn’t annoy me like some narrators for romance books do.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC

Story 3 1/2⭐️
Audio 4⭐️

The narrators for this were excellent, and what really kept me invested in this book. The plot is enemies to lovers, but really more of enemies to insta lust to lovers, and I wish there had been more depth to their connection. I loved how supportive Aidan was of Micah’s writing, but that being said was extremely disappointed in how unsupportive he was of her doing her current job, knowing full well that she was there to audit his department and make recommendations that could result in cuts. The spice was spicy, but the ending felt off and I wasn’t thrilled with what felt like his conditional I love you.

I am going to be giving this a 3.75 and rounding it up to a 4 for reviewing purposes. I really liked the synopsis when it came to this. The idea of a English professor who teaches classic literature who writes spicy fanfic just had me screaming “YES! I need this!” I think both narrators in the audiobook did a fantastic job with the narration. It really locked me into the story. Now for around the first 60% of this book for some reason I found that when the two main charaters interacted I found myself annoyed with Micah. And I think it was with how she always reacted to Aidan. It usually seemed to go to the extreme and how her emotions seem to get the best of her. After that portion of the they really dislike and misunderstand each other got past and we really got into the stride of things I found myself smiling a lot more. Overall I really liked the story. I loved the interactions when they were talking to each other on the fanfiction website. I really liked Aidan as a character. I do see that this author has written two other books and I am curious to check them out and see if the few issues I had with this book I also have with others but overall I enjoyed my time with this audiobook and this story.
Thank you to Hareliquin audio for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio and Sarah Echavarre Smith for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

It's giving Olivia Dade's Spoiler Alert with the anonymous fanfic writers, meets Denise Williams' How To Fail At Flirting in an academic setting confronts a cost saving consultant way, plus some pretty indulgent spice.

If you read 200+ romance books are year- check this book out. It's fun. If you read less and you like more substance- this one might not be for you.

Dual Narration was very well done. The male narrator didn't change his voice much for female dialogue- but honestly that was better than MOST male's TRYING to do a female voice, ya know?

3.5 ⭐️ // 2.5 🌶️

I really wanted to like this more - it has all the tropes I love:
-workplace/forbidden romance
-enemies to lovers
-hot professor who writes fanfic
- reverse grumpy sunshine
-forced proximity
-SPICE.

I think this would have been leagues better with some editing and if Micah wasn't so insufferable. There's grumpy and then there's insufferable and she was insufferable. I enjoyed the spice (both in the fanfic and with the MCs) and I thought the chemistry between both MCs was really evident. And overall this book did lots of things right. This is going to make a lot of readers really happy! And it’s DUAL NARRATED!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin audio for the ALC of this booking exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely could not stand the two MCs and the fan fiction plotline. It actually could've been adorable, but it wasn't.

I will wait to rat on GR until after the book is released because it might be for someone else.

This one had so much potential on paper with academic rivals, enemies-to-lovers, secret fanfic identities, and a Shakespearean twist. But unfortunately, it didn’t quite land for me. While I love this trope, I didn’t feel much chemistry between Micah and Aiden, and the banter felt more like ongoing workplace tension than romantic build-up. The twist about the fanfiction connection should’ve been a fun reveal, but instead, it didn’t add much depth or tension to the story and led to some frustrating decisions from the characters.

That said, the audiobook was the saving grace. The narration by Cindy Kay and JF Harding was excellent. They brought out the characters’ personalities and made the dialogue feel more engaging. Their performances added a layer of charm that made the story more enjoyable to listen to than it might have been to read. If you’re curious about this one, I’d definitely recommend going the audiobook route.

First I would like to thank Harlequin Romance and Harlequin Audio for providing me an ARC/audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/5 Starts
What I Loved:
- Audiobook Narrators, I am such a huge fan of Cindy Kay and with J.F. Harding I couldn't stop listening to this audiobook they did an amazing job emulating Micah and Aidan
- Spicy shorts, Aidan is a popular author of spicy short stories on a fanfic site and I love how they are scattered throughout the story
- Auditor & Professor, Micah is an auditor and as a former auditor it was fun to see my job reflected in a story and Aidan is a professor which is still my dream job for when I 'grow up'
- Enemies to Lovers, Aidan and Micah had the opposite of a meet cute and really sets up a fiery enemies to lovers story
- Pranks, I got a lot of giggles out of the pranks these two play on each other and how Micah is coached by her twin sister
- Siblings, both Aidan and Micah are close to their siblings and I enjoy how they both torment and help in all the situations
- Spicy, just HOT

If you are looking for a spicy enemies to lovers romance with a lot of chemistry, great side characters, stories within the story and unique occupations then I would absolutely recommend this book. Audiobook readers the dual narration in this audiobook elevates the story even more and you can feel the chemistry from the narrators....RUN to get this audiobook!

If you enjoy a lot of office banter and sexual tension, this may be the book for you. Micah is auditing the school Aidan is a Literature professor at and there might be employee cuts might be coming. Even though Micah and Aidan are butting heads left and right, they won’t be able to hold back forever. When they discover each other’s personal hobby of Shakespearean fanfic, it’s too hard to ignore the attraction. They will enter into a lot of hot and heavy moments. But will Micah’s responsibility with work ruin everything.

Thoughts:
The relationship between Aidan and his dad was something I wish fleshed out a little bit more. Micah’s growth to realize she can have the job she wants rather than the job she thinks she wants was enjoyable. I love the movie Much Ado About Nothing with Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh. It was my hope there would be wonderful back and forth, but it felt more like two college kids fighting than adults having quick wit. The plot got lost for me. Overall, this one just wasn’t for me.

Narration:
Cindy Kay was wonderful, and I enjoyed her vocal differences with the various characters. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the same with J. F. Harding. The characters didn’t have enough variation to follow which one was talking.

Thank you @netgalley and Harlequin for the ALC.

This was the first time I have ever been able to 👁️ read and 👂read a book at the same time. I really enjoyed this book and was taken back to my teenage years where every movie was a retelling of classic literature but this was much spicier and much more in tune to my taste as an adult romance reader! I was also pleasantly surprised when I read that the FMC is Filipina like me! This made it much easier for me to picture JF Harding whispering sweet nothings/dirty talk directly into my 👂 😍 His “good girl” is always a good time! 🥵 I can’t forget about my girl Cindy Kay because DAMN her dirty talk also had my temperature rising!

I personally love a good enemies to lovers storyline and this book delivered on the all that pent-up sexual tension between the main characters, Micah and Aidan! Who doesn’t love a dirty talking hot nerd willing to fog up his glasses by burying himself in between the black cat female’s legs!?!? 😮‍💨

This was a pretty quick read/listen and only took me a little longer to go through since I was doing both 👁️ & 👂 read and didn’t listen on my commute like I normally do. Overall, I would definitely recommend a listen over a read because JF Harding and Cindy Kay always deliver with their narration!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and Harlequin-romance for the ALC & eARC!

Workplace enemies form a connection over an online fanfic romance/erotica site and has the two bonding over their shared appreciation for spicy Shakespeare love stories and the joy that can be found through romance books. I thought that this was fun, unique premise for a contemporary romance. It was great on audio and highly recommended for fans of authors like Jackie Lau or Carley Fortune. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I wanted to love this book so much. I mean enemies to lovers, workplace romance, and forbidden relationship it had the recipe for a perfect book it just wasn’t for me. The characters weren’t relatable, the story was a bit weak, and the enemies to lovers of it all wasn’t believable. I love some spice but I need a good story to go with it and this felt more spice than substance.

I did enjoy the side characters in this book a lot. Micah’s family was sweet and her sister is so supportive. Aiden’s brother is funny and charming and I loved him. I loved the idea of pursuing what you love to do instead of wasting away at a job you hate so Micah’s journey to finding her passion was enjoyable.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book dual narrated by Cindy Kay and J.F. Harding. They did an excellent job of bringing this book to life.

Rating: 4
Spice: 3
Trope: Forced Proximity, Rivals to Lovers, Immediate Attraction

Dual Narration by Cindy Kay and J.F. Harding was the perfect fit for this story. J.F. Harding is one of the best male narrators out there and I have loved Cindy Kay since the If Love series by Ana Huang. The chemistry and tension in this book is well written. The spice is great in both the fanfic and the main plot. The MMC & FMC are intriguing and you want them both to succeed. This was a quick, fun listen.

As a financial auditor, Micah has been tasked with auditing the English Department at a local university. Professor Aiden Scott is a Professor by day and a spicy Shakespeare fanfic writer by night. From their first in person meeting there is immediate attraction filled with hate and hostility. Their interactions online are filled with sexual tension and flirting. What will happen when they realize who the person on the other side of the phone really is?

Thank you to the author, their publisher, and NetGalley for an ALC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rivals-to-Lovers will forever be my absolute favorite romance troupe to read. This audio book was omg hot af. The narrators really brought this story to life and you could feel the dislike but also that attraction between the MCs. I giggled and kicked my feet up quite a few times while listening to this one.