This book was a typical romance. Cute, lighthearted, easy to read. I did find the heroine a bit all over the place. She’s painted as a coffee shop waitress who needs to get a job to get her big break, but at the same she is so bright that she has been coding her own revolutionary social media app but cannot do it without the hero. A lot of intrigue and talk of billionaires.

Book recommendation:
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars)

Thanks to @netgalley and @joffebooks for my advance copy of this book!

When I saw that this was a second book in a series, I knew I had to read the first one - Suddenly Tempted - which turns out I thought was excellent!

I’m so pleased that Suddenly Desired followed suit. I really loved the dynamic between the protagonists and there were some very tender and romantic moments woven in.

I did however get annoyed at the fact that the main characters ex walked all over her and managed to emotionally manipulate her for so long. I also found other parts frustrating involving the drama with the business and the lack of conflict so the characters definitely had flaws to me and were generally big pushovers.

The drama however did keep me captivated! The antagonists were easy to despise! And the main characters overall had great personalities and quirks.

If you are a fan of soap operas, this may well be the book for you!

#suddenlydesired #netgalley #bookrecommendation #bookreview #bookstagram

Sweet, cute story. The type that makes you believe in love. The kind that takes you to another world, briefly. You love the main characters, and you love to hate the mean characters. Super fast read. Part of a stand alone series. Recommend!

hooked and hooked some more. Loved all of this and couldn't put it down. I was like oh my. I need to know more. Read it.

I read 15% of this and didn't finish--I really liked Ellie, but the plot itself was a little too slow and boring for my taste.

3⭐️ I thought that Ellie and Blake were really cute together! I thought their romance was adorable, but it did feel very rushed and quite unrealistic considering the timing of the storyline. I also feel like the storyline was rather predictable in terms of the mystery of who was sabotaging Blake and I found it unlikely that Blake’s sole concern through the ordeal was Ellie. I would have expected him to be more upset/fight harder for his company than he did initially. Still, if you’re looking for a short, cute romance read, this is a good choice! Especially because it’s part of a series full of cute stories.

Thank you to Joffe Books, NetGalley, and Katie Evergreen for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC!

*review posted to goodreads*

This book wasn’t what I expected. The cover screams rom-com, but the story dives into heavy drama, emotional manipulation, and mystery elements that honestly made it tough to read at times. The main characters fall way too fast, and while the spice level is high, the emotional connection feels rushed and unrealistic. Blake is sweet but painfully conflict-avoidant, and Ellie’s lack of backbone plus constant inner monologue got frustrating quickly. The villains are wildly over-the-top and somehow never face consequences, which left the ending feeling unsatisfying and unresolved. Still, it’s a fast-paced, high-drama read with vivid writing—good for anyone who enjoys chaotic insta-love with a side of emotional turbulence. Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC!

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is the first book I have read by the author, I really liked the book cover and was drawn to it. Sadly the book was nothing like. I went in to it thinking it was going to be lighthearted and a fun read. But it is not at all. Infact maybe it should come with some trigger warnings. The main character Ellie is lovely but just manipulated by her ex partner time and time again. Then the insta love or lust with Blake just did not work for me and as I didn't get either character there was no development. Nothing particularly wrong with him but I think by the point in the book when they met I had just had enough of Ellie and wasn't overly invested they just both seemed very naive not adults in a relationship. I personally prefer a slow burn romance so maybe it says more about me than the book. I would read another book by the author in the future in hope that I would like the characters more.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

First of all thank you for approving my request!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The authors writing style had me hooked throughout this book.

I didn't want it to end, a book I really couldn't put down.

This book was the ultimate rom com, the down on her luck enc and the billionaire recluse in trouble with the media mic, hiking ensue and they find love in the turmoil and drama. I love it! This book has drama for days and the cutest main characters ever. This is a great quick read.

This book started out promising. It was a meet cute that I can get behind. But holy drama, Batman! That's not a good thing either. If you're into 'reality' TV level drama and evil villains with no redeemable qualities who do nothing but make the book depressing, then this is the book for you. Unfortunately, it's really hard to quantify this as a romance when most of the focus is on the never-ending drama with Ellie's Ex and Blake's company and there's very little romance to be seen. It was all overly scripted and I really questioned the intelligence of both the hero and heroine.

First there's Blake, the billionaire founder and CEO of a social media company. He gets pushed out of his own company by lies, from fellow board members at that. Does he fight it before stepping down with his tail tucked between his legs? Nope. Does he bother calling an attorney? Nope, never even mentions one. I mean come on...I'm a middle class person and even I know you need to get an attorney involved with something like this. And where was his freaking security team? What billionaire out there doesn't have one? And in this entire book, not once did he ever ask for Ellie's number. How were they supposed to communicate when they weren't together? I'm sorry, but so many key details were overlooked that it made this seem really unbelievable.

Then there's Ellie. Ellie was a sweet girl who had big ideas. But she was a pushover. Her ex was a moocher and emotional abuser who shouldn't have had access to her. He kept coming into her apartment when she's gone. Does she do anything to keep that from happening? Nope. She claims she doesn't have money to get the locks changed and she refuses to ask her mom for help. I'm sorry, but if an abuser who made my life miserable keeps showing up and eating my food without warning, while belittling me when he's there, I'm going to do all I can to make sure he doesn't get to do that again, even if I have to swallow my pride and ask for help to make sure I'm safe. It was utterly ridiculous that someone supposedly smart could be so dumb when it came to her personal welfare. And she just leaves her intellectual property around knowing that her ex keeps showing up! Come on girl, get a clue!

If you overlook just how naive they both seem to be, then they really are a cute couple lol. I liked them on the farm. I liked how Ellie came to his aid when he needed a friend and someone to hold his hand. Was the romance believable? Not really. I mean they fell in love in a matter of a few days even though most of that time was spent trying to problem solve and not getting to know one another. I wish we had gotten more romance from this to make it believable. Everything just seemed surface level and it was hard to get to know them as people too.

The ending was cute, but it seemed like the author wrapped up all the drama and legal issues in a page after spending the entire book building up to the finale to the drama. That was very disappointing. I wanted to SEE how it all went down, not be TOLD in a paragraph what happened to the villains. It was all anti-climatic and not what I was hoping for. I did appreciate the author adding some humor to the epilogue so that book ended on a lighter note.

It was a really cute and fluffy read, but it was too insta lovey. I like it to be a bit longer, not a week etc. just not super believable or realistic but despite that i enjoyed the read

Thanks to Joffe Books and NetGalley for this arc.

I thought this was a cute insta love, easy beach read! I flew through it in a day. Blake and Ellie are cute and solid characters and the spice was good but not too much! I liked this book :)

I so, so badly wanted to like this book but I couldn’t get into it. The main character was very cute and quirky which I did like, but I didn’t really feel like the story was one that pulled me in. The MMC was the typical nice guy and I have nothing bad to say about him either. Unfortunately I think the story just fell flat for me. Maybe if the book had a little more time to build the characters and give them more depth I would have liked this much more. I almost wish that we had gotten a glimpse of the FMC and her ex-boyfriend’s relationship. If the book had started there and we had seen how horrible her ex was to her, and there was a breakup that occurred, I feel like I would have been pulled in a little more at the beginning! I really would have been rooting for our FMC then! Unfortunately the story felt more focused on the MMC and his friends and situation. I know that the series is going to be focused on their Apex group, but even that wasn’t really clear until I saw that was the series name. Overall it was a forgettable store unfortunately and I don’t think I would recommend it to others.

This lighthearted billionaire romance was such an enjoyable read. It served as the perfect palate cleanser—I flew through it in less than a day. The story is short, sweet, and effortlessly engaging. I especially loved the dynamic between Blake and Ellie; their early interactions were filled with charming meet-cutes that made me smile. The twist later in the book genuinely surprised me, adding a nice layer of depth. If you're looking for a quick and delightful romance, this one is worth picking up.

I really enjoyed how this book subverted the typical billionaire romance, Blake’s awkwardness made him feel more real and endearing. The plot moved quickly, and the suspense around the “mystery” kept me hooked. While some things felt a little predictable, I found myself eager to see how everything turned out.

That said, Ellie’s character felt inconsistent, confident in some scenes, overly insecure in others. Blake and Ellie’s friendship/relationship developed too fast for my liking, and the insta-love left me wanting more buildup or slow burn (but that’s just personal preference). The spice scenes felt a bit forced, and the sudden 180 in everyone’s dreams at the end felt a little unbelievable and left me slightly unsatisfied.

Still, it’s a fun, fast-paced read with drama, romance, and heart.

Thank you to NetGalley, Choc Lit, and the author for the ARC.

I loved the business storyline. I enjoyed the characters but the whole story felt super rushed and very fast. The whole book was only a few days and so much had happened. I wish it was a little longer and had just a bit more background of the main characters.
I did really enjoy the book but there was just something that was missing for me. I don’t know what it is but it just needed a little something extra.

I wanted to enjoy this book! I wanted to, but I just didn't. I struggle giving this book 2 stars.
Insta-love.. not my thing.
I was so intrigued by the description, but had so many problems with the book.
First problem - third person POV... ugh. I know some readers enjoy it, but I do not.
Both main characters had no backbone! IT DROVE ME CRAZY. I almost DNF'd the book due to the lack of development in the two main characters.
The book was challenging to read. There was so much tragedy, but not in a good way. It wasn't written well enough to make you love it like, for example, Say You Swear by Meagan Brandy, SOOO much tragedy, but executed very well.
Toxic relationships prevail, manipulation runs rampant, and unfortunately, sexism is at the forefront.
I also took issue with the way the book represented emotional abuse and gaslighting. Maybe it is just my preference, but I have read so many other books with the same content, but they were written well enough that I was able to enjoy them.
FMC - Ellie. MMC - Blake.
The spice is not done well - in fact, it's very explicit in a bad way.
The entire relationship between Ellie and Blake was just unrealistic and frustrating.
I was also very dissatisfied with the ending of the book.
The structure was not done well, and it felt choppy. Because of the choppiness of the book, the pace made me feel almost uncomfortable. Again, hard for me to explain.
I already mentioned above my issue with the characters and their lack of development throughout the plot.
I really can't recommend this book as is, I think it needs some major work before publication. I think it has tremendous potential, but it needs work.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Happy Reading.

struggle with how to rate this.

On the one hand, it’s easy to read with clear character and place descriptions that make it feel real and a good application of the insta-lust/love pipeline. Everything takes place over the course of three days and the author keeps us appropriately busy during that time. The MMC is a genuinely nice guy and the FMC is a good support to him!

On the other hand… the conflict in the story was FRUSTRATING. The baddies are really freaking bad and they just keep getting away with it. Both the MMC and FMC are conflict avoidant to the point of letting people walk all over them (it’s couched with “taking the high road”) and there were points I had to set the book down and walk away because I was so frustrated. For the love of god, Ellie! Take out a loan if you have to or ask your mom for help but change your apartment locks ASAP. Blake!, are you kidding me right now?! Where’s your lawyer?! You’re worth $6B. Use that for heaven’s sake.

Ultimately I would say it’s a quick romance read for someone who likes high-stakes, high-drama romance with main characters that are instantly head over heels for one another.

Thank you to NetGalley, Choc Lit and the author for letting me read early in exchange for review!