“I’ve been your lover for a decade, agape. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you. I know your every sigh, every scream, I know the way that your blue eyes darken when you need me. I know just how dark your fantasies are. How the cold, calculated businesswoman likes for someone to tell her what to do as long as she’s naked. How you wish for someone to tie you down and make your decision for you. I don’t just know what you want, Florence. I know what you beg for.”
Pregnant Enemy, Christmas Bride has the potential to be a wild Christmas romance if only the author really embraced that crazy essence that existed in this story.
It’s cold outside…
but they’re playing with fire!
CEO Florence Clare’s relationship with Hades Achelleos is…complicated. By day, her corporate enemy is the devil himself, their rivalry a thing of headline-grabbing legend. By night, they indulge in a clandestine affair. Equally brilliant, equally headstrong, they are one another’s forbidden rebellion…
Hades is fire personified, and Florence has always known their entanglement becoming public would be disastrous. But this Christmas, two little lines threaten to reveal her darkest secret—she’s pregnant. And the paparazzi sense scandal when the Greek tycoon announces his shocking new bride-to-be…
I like a category romance. They are quick and easy reads and often have bonkers storylines. When I read the synopsis for this book, I knew I needed to read it because the plot sounded wild. I hoped for lots of delicious drama, lusty tension, and sharp banter. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any of that in this book. This book just didn’t work for me. I don’t have any problem with the plot. I actually don’t mind accidental pregnancy, which leads to a marriage of convenience or forced marriage trope. I devour that kind of drama with a smile on my face.
The problem I had was the way this book was executed. First, for a short-category romance, there was way too much internal dialogue going on. It takes up most of the book, which means there is a limited amount of dialogue. One of the great things about an enemies-to-lovers or rivalries-to-lovers story is the sharp and fast banter between the two MCs. I didn’t get that in this book, and when these two did talk, it was rigid and felt off. Their conversations and how they unfolded didn’t make sense and made for a jarring and confusing reading experience.
The chemistry between these two characters didn’t really exist for me. Florence’s feelings and actions toward Hades are all over the map, and not in a good way. She went from only sex buddies to I have to have him for myself in the blink of an eye. I know things often move fast in the category of romance, but that doesn’t mean they can unfold in a confusing and illogical manner. There is an art to writing fun, crazy, quick romance; unfortunately, that didn’t happen in this book. It was hard to get a read on Hades’s character; I think it might have been a good idea to include his POV. I might have been able to connect with his character.
Even though this story was a miss for me, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have potential. I love the plot idea behind this book, and I think with some rewriting and tweaking, it could be a great read.
Thank you, Harlequin Romance, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
