3 Heliotrope Stars ⭐️
Spicy Level:🌶️.5/5

I struggled with this one, and I’m still battling with where I’m landing on my overall thoughts and feelings.

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙤𝙥𝙨𝙞𝙨:
This follows Piper Doyle, a photographer, who on the day of a photo shoot, gets into a car park accident where some asshole drives into her and makes it seem like it’s her fault. Later, at her brother’s engagement party, she meets "said asshole" again and realises he’s one of her brother’s best friends and a billionaire who owns a perfume company - Vincent Forde.

Vincent, trying to escape his crazy ex, persuades Piper to pretend to be his girlfriend. While seated at their table, they interact with a couple who own a farm in Hawaii that happens to have a perfect plantation of the missing flower ingredient Vincent needs for a new perfume he’s been struggling to source. So, he strikes a deal with Piper: he’ll help her start her new business if she helps him secure the flower from this couple, so she has to start working for him all the while pretending they are dating.

𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨:
My main concern with this book is that some aspects just didn’t gel for me. First, I didn’t find their bickering or banter very cute. At times, it felt malicious and vicious rather than playful. I get that Vincent is a very "business-minded, focused billionaire; but honestly, the series title nailed it - he’s a total ass. I just didn’t see the appeal of him most of the time (but I do have to admit some aspects were cute)

Piper, on the other hand, is almost too talented. No matter what’s thrown at her, she just excels effortlessly. It’s like she’s spectacular at everything she does, and it feels a little unrealistic. For example, she steps into a creative director role at the company with ease, but where did those skills come from? Yes, she’s a photographer, but photographers specialise in different areas. She’s introduced as a wedding photographer, but suddenly, she’s also a product photographer, a high-fashion photographer, and an editorial photographer...all of which require very different skills, techniques, and expertise. It just didn’t make sense...

The dialogue, particularly the quips, also felt a bit fake. They came too easily and felt overly smart-alecky, making them come across as disingenuous. Overall, the characters felt like generic versions of classic stereotypes: the overly preppy, perfect-at-everything photographer trying to make her way in business, and the surly, grumpy billionaire with a bad grasp of his own emotions.

A lot of the story felt surface-level, missing the deeper emotional connection I needed. It felt like a diluted version of this type of romance, without enough standout moments to sell their chemistry, connection, or romance.

That said, I don’t regret reading it. It’s a sweet story, and if you’re looking for a workplace romance with some enemies-to-lovers vibes, it’ll give you what you want. However, it’s not going to blow you away. The plot moved too fast at times, with frequent time jumps that didn’t leave enough room to develop their relationship. This hindered the chemistry, as we weren’t often shown their connection evolving.

𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨:
▶ Workplace Romance
▶ Enemies to Lovers
▶ Brother's Best Friend
▶ Fake Dating
▶ Billionaire Romance
▶ Found Family/Band of Brothers
▶ One Bed
▶ She Falls First - He Falls Harder
▶ Third Act Breakup

In the end, I’m still not sure how to feel. It’s not bad, and it’s not terrible to read. It's not the last book I'll read by Leslie North...because I am intrigued by her style. If the tropes it has appeal to you, this book will deliver the scratch to your itch...

Thank you to Netgalley, Relay Publishing and Leslie North for the gifted copy.
All thoughts and opinions are my own.