Reviews

Enemies in Paradise: A Sweet Romantic Comedy by Brittany Larsen

bookswithmadi_'s review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

lilasbooknook's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

redreviews4you's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Every book I read in this series want me to price houses in Paradise because the stories are filled with a set for live and love that leaves me with a smile.  Trust me, this has been a tough go for a while, so saying that Brittany Larsen has me laugh, smile, and feel joy is a major accomplishment. Bear and Cassie are the perfect blend of all the feels and laughs with perfect fade to black moments that keep these books closed door.

ranialg's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 
You cannot go wrong when you read a rom-com that also has animals staring in it – because without a doubt, there will be antics!! And antics there are!! 

This is my first venture into Paradise, and I have no regrets at all!! Enemies in Paradise is the fourth book in the series, but also a standalone – just ask me!! Of course now that I loved this book so much, I’m going to dive into the entire series, and probably read this again at the end! Bear and Cassie are so fun to watch as they overcome being enemies with crazy chemistry to falling in love! Again, throw in some animals, and it just gets crazier. 

I loved this book and it deserves a full 5 stars! 

shelvedtreasures's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Brittany Larsen does it again. You can't help but fall in love with Bear and Cassie. I spent the whole book rooting for them. Their chemistry is amazing and gave me a renewed love for enemies to lovers stories! Can't wait to go back and read the love stories for the other Paradise couples! 
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pages_and_papercrafts's review against another edition

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4.25

Heartwarming and funny, this closed door, small town, enemies to lovers, dual POV rom-com gave me warm fuzzy feelings and Hart of Dixie vibes. Cassie, a LA Detective looking for a change, and Bear, a golden-retriever type of guy who coaches girl’s hockey in his spare time, try realllllllllly hard to not show their feelings for each other which result in some pretty hilarious pranks (mice, cats, squirrels, gah!) and great chemistry and banter. What a clever play on the title and the small town’s name too. I read this as a stand-alone (there were a few standard small spoilers of the first books) and look forward to now continuing the series and going through the backlist. 

shelvedthoughts's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

5.0

Reader’s Notes:


– this is part of a series, but can be read as a stand-alone


– this is told from Cassie & Bear’s points of view


– it is mentioned that Cassie has had to deal with a superior who discriminated & harassed her at work (past events – still a current issue but we don’t ‘meet’ the harasser during the events of the story); she has trauma from it


– it is mentioned that Bear’s mother has Alzheimer’s & doesn’t have much longer to live


– a character accidentally sees/almost sees another naked


Review:


I loved this book so much! Cassie & Bear’s story was so much fun with the various ‘attacks’ they threw at each other and the misunderstandings they had about each other. I loved getting to know them both from their own points of view instead of Bear’s siblings & their significant others to be (I still need to get to Christmas in Paradise so I didn’t read anything from their cousin’s point of view yet). I liked getting an inside look at both characters’ struggles and how they were dealing with them over time. I loved getting to see some of Paradise’s well known members again and how these two handled their shenanigans. It really lent to the hilarity of their situations. I can’t wait to find out what will happen with Britta finding a happily ever after!


Summary:


Cassie is looking for a place to escape and move forward with her life after work throws her a curveball causing her to question her choice in profession. So when her friend Georgia invites her out to Paradise, Cassie grabs hold of the offer with both hands. Unfortunately, Georgia’s hope of getting Cassie to purchase an old shop for a bookstore pits her further against Bear Thompson who also has an interest in purchasing it. After their disastrous first meeting at Georgia’s wedding, Cassie wants to be as far away from Bear as she can. But with their need to temporarily share the shop space, they’ll need to push aside their differences. If only things were easier done than said for once…


Bear wants his grandfather’s old shop for his hockey team and has been biding his time to finally get everything together to make it happen. But when Bear sees Georgia showing the place off to Cassie as an option to purchase, the rug is pulled out from under him. Time is short if he wants to get the shop or it will go to the woman that caused him trouble with the Paradise townspeople. When he hears that Cassie will be staying in the adjoining apartment while details of a sale are configured, Bear takes advantage of his knowledge of the place to try and get her to back down from purchasing the shop. Unfortunately, his attempt only lit a fire under Cassie to retaliate back at him and further hate him… 

starburst3625's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

A fantastic read! Highly recommended. I loved this book and the whole series. I’m so sad to see it end, but Cassie and Bear’s book is a great way to go out. They had amazing chemistry throughout all their conflict. There were so many funny and entertaining moments, along with some intense emotional threads running through the story. Cassie, an LAPD detective, was ready for a change and was considering purchasing an old, defunct auto repair shop in Paradise from Bear’s family to convert into her dream bookstore.  “All the things I used to think were so important don’t feel that way anymore.” Bear wanted it too, mainly for the land and the pond his hockey team practiced on. “I’m running head on into this dream. Even if I have to brawl with a Bear to make it come true.” As the two continued to clash over the property, their intense attraction became impossible to ignore. How could there be a happy ending for them when they couldn’t both get what they wanted? “‘You may need to choose between fighting Cassie for the pond or fighting for her.’”

The romance was wonderful and the conflict was entertaining. The characters were all just as fantastic as they have been in the rest of the series. The family interactions were so great, even is some were also heartbreaking. Bear was just so epically sweet and lovely. The one thing that was unresolved for me with the story (Well, besides Britta, but she’s getting her own book.), was the cat. How did they make everything work with the cat? A little detail that I just couldn’t get out of my mind, lol. I would absolutely recommend reading the series in order as the family really enrich the story, however, this book can be enjoyed as a standalone if desired. There are elements included in the book that involve harassment, death, grief, dementia, and mental illness. This is a closed door romance with mild innuendo and very brief very mild harsh language.

thebookstrovert's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

4.0

Favorite Quote: 
“Cassie is wearing my jersey. And she called me Bear.More than once.My head is killing me. I can already feel a lump forming. My eyes itch so badly from being in her cat-contaminated space that I want to scratch them out of my head. And the entire building is going to need major repairs beyond re-piping. But it’s worth it. Because Cassie is wearing my jersey, and she called me Bear.”


I love coming back to Paradise! I really enjoyed Bear and Cassie’s story! 
I will admit, some of this story could have been fixed pretty easily if they had just talked, but then we wouldn’t have gotten squirrels, or the pipe burst. 😂

Willy Wonkat. 😂
The hockey jersey!!😍

Overall, this is a really cute enemies to lovers that had me laughing til the end! And I cannot wait for Britta’s story next! 😆

Thank you to the author for the advance copy. All thoughts are my own. 

cherilynjohnston24's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

What happens when Bear and Cassie want the same building but also can’t stop thinking about each other? 
They fight for what they both believe is the right thing all while pulling some hilarious intentional and some unintentionally pranks on each other!  There are more of the famous squirrels from Paradise and quite a few cats. Both Bear and Cassie have learn to be vulnerable and realize that fighting together is better than fighting each other.