It’s not all sunshine and roses in this steamy modern romance. Set in present day – as in, when millions of people’s lives are on hold – this sexy love story mixes lightness and banter with real life issues. The first half is steamy, sexual tension-filled fun, with great dialogue and obvious chemistry. The mood changes in the back half and it forces our couple to take a deeper look at their feelings. It’s an interesting combination that reflects the ups and downs of life right now. However, while I really enjoyed the hero and all of the banter, it was more “like” than “love” for me with this one (but more on that in a minute).
The story follows Cami, a college student from a wealthy family who is often seen as spoiled and pampered. When the COVID-19 pandemic rocks the nation, she takes shelter at a remote cabin. But it turns out Cami’s not alone; her brother’s infuriating best friend, Eli, has also made plans to stay. They’ve got years of complicated history between them and nothing but time to work out all of their frustrations – sexual and otherwise.
It’s not a true enemies to lovers romance – things gets steamy very quickly and remain focused on the chemistry between them for a while. There are obvious feelings for both Cami and Eli from the start (despite the fact that Cami has a boyfriend at the beginning), and things escalate quickly. That’s probably my major complaint about the book – Cami does have a boyfriend at the start and it’s really mere pages after the breakup when things start to kick into high gear. I would’ve loved more time devoted to that enemies to lovers vibe before moving forward, and maybe some time to let the dust settle on that relationship before Cami was trying to pounce on Eli. I blame most of that on Cami’s personality, which wasn’t my favorite. That being said, there’s a lot that I liked – especially Eli. He is unafraid of his feelings, determined, and a loving, normal guy. They balance each other out well, and the chemistry was obvious. Eli brings more depth and honesty to their relationship, which was great to read.
I will caution you that the authors take a few liberties (probably too many) about the virus, etc., and there’s a heavy dose of reality mixed in. I’m still undecided on that, honestly. This isn’t the first quarantine-inspired romance that I’ve read so that in and of itself wasn’t an issue – it actually works perfectly for forcing proximity and gives a nice, relatable feel to the story. It’s definitely something to be aware of before you choose to read, however. I received an ARC of this steamy romance and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Brooke Cumberland and Lyra Parish are a duo of romance authors who teamed up under the USA Today pseudonym, Kennedy Fox. They share a love of Hallmark movies & overpriced coffee. When they aren’t bonding over romantic comedies, they like to brainstorm new book ideas. One day, they decided to collaborate under a pseudonym and have some fun creating new characters that’ll make you blush and your heart melt. If you enjoy romance stories with sexy, tattooed alpha males and smart, quirky, independent women, then a Kennedy Fox book is for you! They’re looking forward to bringing you many more stories to fall in love with!
Jeeves Reads Romance 
