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.

This was... Infuriating. I spent the first half of the book acting the FMC and the second half hating the MMC. The power dynamic was problematic and unfair and OMFG the amount of identical adjectives about crystal blue eyes etc.

As a huge fan of "Much Ado About Nothing", the title "Much Ado About Hating You" really caught my eye. This book isn't a traditional retelling, but rather a fun twist with characters and their passion for Shakespeare. The audiobook narrators, Cindy Kay and J.F. Harding, brought the story to life beautifully. Overall, it was a good read.

3.5 ⭐️ —

This books synopsis and cover had me and then the actual execution of the plot and storyline lost me quicker than a 2 year old in a grocery store.

The spice was badly timed all throughout the book. And listen, I like spice. The spicier the BETTER! But everytime we got to spice in the book it felt soooo left field! The enemies portion was believable and ok, but the instant switch to lovers could’ve used some pacing.

The pacing of this book overall was poorly done, this book had SO much potential and just fell FLAT.

I would not recommend tbh. It wasn’t bad, but in no way was it truly captivating or worth publishing.

This was a quick listen for me. I love some smut this made me a litttle uncomfy. Too many pu$$ies. In my opinion.

This was an intense Enemies to Lovers rom com. If all of those tropes and premises entice you, then this book is for you!

There was some of the bickering and argument type of banter that had me clutch my pearls. But the author was good at balancing argument "wins" for both MCs. There were personally some times where I questioned if roles were reversed, would the female have the same audacity? And I am not sure.

Anyways the steam is so top tier that I was distracted by any personal frustrations I had! LOL!

Great read over all and I will be recommending it.
Great narrators.

If there was any Asian rep mentioned in the book, I missed it.

The banter between the speakers was unexpected and really kept things lively. It felt like listening to a genuine conversation rather than a typical ad, which made it easy to stay engaged. The humor and casual tone brought a refreshing energy that made the message much more enjoyable.

Instead of a standard sales pitch, the dialogue flowed naturally and added personality to the ad. This approach made the content relatable and memorable, especially during a busy workday when I needed a quick break.

Overall, the ad’s mix of fun and clear communication left a positive impression. It’s a great example of how a conversational style can make advertising feel less intrusive and more entertaining.

This is pure enemies to lovers territory. These people hate each other, which unfortunately makes the romantic aspects feel a little abrupt. The sex scenes are phenomenal, the Shakespeare fanfic parts were great as well, but I couldn’t find myself really rooting for these two.

The audiobook performance was great though.

What do you get when you mix a former-hockey-player/lit-professor with a university auditor? Some pretty great enemies to lovers vibes. What do you get when both of those characters are also lovers (and writers) of spicy romance and part of the same online community? Spice. And a good amount of it. ❤️‍🔥

I listened to the audiobook version of this and it was honestly a fast-paced, good time. I enjoyed both characters for the most part and loved the plot as a whole. It was well done.

The narrators were also great and did a great job bringing the story to life. It was easy to listen to and the intros and exists to the chapters were clear. I never felt lost while listening. 🙂

I was so excited for a nerdy lit lover 😍 and he writes smut? Like okay, ✨dream guy✨

Except… kinda not really. Aidan was fine, but his selfishness throughout the book turned me off. As a previous hockey player, I would’ve loved to see more of the juxtaposition between that world and his love for literature. Instead we got a weird, no/contact relationship between him and his dad and some Shakespearean “fanfic”.

Then we get Micah, who is just trying her best but also kind of a mess. She’s gone through some unfortunate things with her ex but, somehow, her parents and sister save her financially? Then comes Aidan who basically wants her to quit her job so he doesn’t lose his and when she doesn’t, throws a fit 🙄

Don’t even get me started on the secret online identities that somehow immediately slapped a big ol’ bandaid on their “enemies” situation as soon as it’s found out.

The cover had me so excited for the tension between the two, but I just felt like it went tension… tension… tension - SMUT. For like the rest of the book. Which I’m not usually one to complain about too much smut, but the plot then felt sprinkled in and at that point nothing was really making any sense.

I love, love, loved the concept in theory and it had so much potential, but in practice, it fell flat for me. Just a little more character development and editing out some unnecessary characters/scenes would’ve left room for more plot development.


The Basics:
Professor/Spicy Fanfic Author 📝//Financial Auditor 📊
1st Person Dual POV
Standalone
🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review 🤍🎧

Enemies to lovers with some fun twists and turns. I really loved the way this story unfolded. Both main characters were relatable and multilayered.

I loved how Micah and Aidan sparred with one another during the day, and connected so deeply when they were under the cloak of anonymity. Aidan was such a wonderful supporter for Micah and it was great to see how he encouraged her to chase her dreams. The audio version of this book is excellent and it really brought this story to life.

This is my first book by this author and curious to read more.

In the beginning I found the fighting between the two main characters kind of frustrating. If I am being completely honest it might be some of my own bias in there, I guess I am a little direct when I have a problem with someone. Thankfully I was already too invested in the plot and glad I did continue.

The “spice” was great and I really enjoyed the heartfelt moments

The story had its ups and downs, but let's be real—the steamy scenes are where this book truly shines. Micah and Aidan's chemistry explodes when things finally get physical, and the dirty talk is top-tier. The spice makes you double-take and rewind like, "Wait—did they just say that?!" Yes, they did. And yes, it was delicious.
Narration-wise, Cindy Kay and J. F. Harding crushed it. Did Kay capture Micah's snark and vulnerability and Harding's? That man could read a grocery list and make it sound sexy, but with Aidan's voice, he delivered all the tension and filth with just the right amount of smirk. Their performances made the heat sizzle and engaged me through clunkier plot points.
I recommend it for the storytelling. Not so much. But for a spicy escape with narrators who bring the heat and then some? It's worth the listen.
Let me know if you want a version that leans more into humour or sarcasm!

This one had potential, but it didn’t quite land for me.

Let’s start with the good:

The narrators were great. Solid voice acting, good pacing, and easy to follow.

Now for the rest...

Some plot points, like the “hockey player who doesn’t talk to his dad” subplot, felt pointless and made the book drag.
The rivalry between Aidan and Micah was forced, with Aidan’s hate coming on way too strong for someone just doing their job.

Also, girl, don’t say “we didn’t have sex” when you literally gave him a BJ and did some stuff. And when they do finally “have sex”, it happens abruptly with zero buildup just *boom*, sex. Speaking of spice… there’s a LOT of it. Honestly? More smut than plot. Not necessarily a bad thing, sometimes that’s exactly what I’m looking for, but today it just wasn’t hitting. It felt like 90% steam, 10% substance.

Character growth? Nonexistent. I couldn’t connect with Aidan, who felt petty and insecure, or Micah, whose “my life is so hard” vibe got old fast.

I really wanted to love this workplace rivals-to-lovers romance, but it was mostly spice with not enough depth to balance it out. Still, I didn’t hate it, it was fine.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the advance listener copy. I really liked the narrators but would have enjoyed it more if it had been duet narration. The story was good but not great. The tension/dislike between Micah and Aidan seemed a bit forced. I appreciated the communication between them when Micah found out who Aidan was online because I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope. Both were mature about it and were able to put their differences aside. The spice was well done. The end of the book felt rushed and all of their issues- both individual and as a couple- were resolved too quickly and simply.

This book was a 3.5 star read. It’s a steamy, enemies to lovers, workplace romance. It’s an easy read and fun. It’s not serious at all, but if you want a smutty summer read, this book is it.