3 stars -- I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

Oh dear. I've had a hot and cold relationship with books written by this author. I've read books that I really loved, but I've more often read books that just rubbed me the wrong way. Strangely, this one wasn't a full on hate, but it's just not a Lenore book. It's not that I can't see why people would enjoy it, it just wasn't a good fit for me. I have a few other books by this author that I'll give a shot, but I think I'll steer away from her normal contemporaries, or romantic comedies, b/c I just don't think I have that sense of humour.

Oh, and yeah, this was kind of a weird one to request for me b/c cheating is one of my button issues (I just don't have a good tolerance for cheating in books, and it will likely make me dislike a book), but I thought perhaps in exploring the topic it wouldn't be too bad. And actually, the cheating wasn't the part that really didn't work for me. The author didn't delve as deep into the reasoning as I had hoped, but it still addressed some interesting questions.

So what didn't work for me? The humour in this book was cringe-worthy. I'd been telling my husband about it, and quite honestly the two MCs were just too over the top for me. So much yelling. There's quirky characters, and then there's these two...particularly Avery. I cringed through parts of this book. It was like watching Meet the Parents. I could understand why people would find it funny, but I just couldn't. And quite frankly, I ended the book and I couldn't help but think that if these people existed in real life, the people surrounding them must be so exhausted.

And the crazy humour kind of got in the way of their chemistry with each other. There just weren't enough moments that got to my heart and made me feel for them. And for *this* particular reader, that was a shame. I like my humour mixed with more depth I guess. I would see glimmers, and then one of them would say something outrageous.

Now don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't laugh at all in this book, or that I didn't enjoy parts. But I just got tired after awhile. I guess I just do better with moderation. *shrugs*

Oh, and on a strange side note, the author would use dramatic periods in weird ways. You know, where someone is trying to emphasize their point and so they break. The. Sentence. Up. But she would use them in places that didn't make sense, at least to this reader. Was I the only one that noticed that? And mostly in the beginning of the book too.

So yeah. I can see this book being popular, it just wasn't the right fit for me.

I really liked the characters and the general story, although I did find it a little yucky that 27-year-old Lucas was attracted to 17-year-old Avery. Even if she had been a few years older when all that happened, it would have been less squicky. The story also would have been served better if it had taken place over a longer period of time than just a week. Regardless, I enjoyed it and would read more by this author. I'd be interested in reading Thatch and Austin's story next.

Here's a link to my review on Goodreads. I'll happily add the review to Amazon when it goes live.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1909358902?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I've read a lot of Van Dyken's books. They have all been 3.5 star ratings or higher for me. I have found them to always be quick reads, fun, and entertaining. So when this title came up on Netgalley to review it was a no brainer to pick it up.

The Prologue starts off with Lucas saying "This is my story. You will hate it. You will hate me." Boy, is that the truth! Within in the first 10% of the book I'm cringing because of the flippant way Lucas treats women....a different woman for every night (or day) of the week. But then again, he's open and honest about it with each of them and they know what they're getting in to. The question then begs, why on earth would these women settle for a womanizer like Lucas Thorn?! Is a cheater any more admirable just because he admits to it and lives up to the title? Gag! But hey, I'm all about redeeming characters in books.

Set in Seattle, Lucas is a 32 year old successful man who loves his work (oddly enough working with on apps for kids) and he loves his revolving door of women. No commitments, no attachments, no strings attached. Friends with benefits perhaps? He's seriously jaded though and has the reputation for ruining his parents relationship with their best friends - the middle school sweetheart he had beginning in the 8th grade and engaged to early in college. The problem is that he mistook one of her sisters for the wrong girl the night before their wedding and that effectively severed a lot of relationships that had grown to be very important to him.

Avery, the youngest of the three Black sisters, is now living in Seattle as well. At 22 years old she refuses to go back home to live with her parents so she accepts an internship only to discover she'll be interning for Lucas Thorn. She's well aware of his reputation and even has to help with his "other calendar". The problem is that she used to be very close to Lucas and if she's being honest, her feelings for him never really went away. Thankfully she values herself more than to be another of his days of the week.

One of the biggest eye rolling irritations for me with this story was the mother of Lucas. She was too emotionally over the top and as such it was too unrealistic for me to accept her behavior.

If you're looking for a fast and fun romance, this book will give you a few laughs and you'll enjoy the crazy ride with Lucas Thorn.

Book two should be fun too as it tells the story of Avery's childhood best girl friend, Austin, and a fellow womanizer (ie cheater) friend of Lucas', named Thatch. Both of these are side characters briefly introduced in book one.

Favorite Quotes:
"Because that's what friends do when they don't screw you over and destroy your life by betraying your trust. They stay loyal, friends for life and all that."

Hating him was difficult. Being attracted to him was inevitable.

"One day you were my friend, and then you became something completely different. Because I wanted you. Because I've always wanted you. Because even when it was wrong - and you were only seventeen years old - I wanted you."

The way a man is supposed to love a woman, with such blind madness that nothing made sense when she wasn't in my world.

Language Rating: 2 (medium)
Mature Content Rating: 2 (medium)
Final Rating: 3.5 stars

I'm a huge fan of Van Dyken's work, so when I saw Cheater up on Netgalley I clicked 'request' as fast as I could. Sometimes, when you build a book up in your head, it can disappoint, but that was not the case at all with Cheater. Classic Van Dyken, it was everything I expected and more. Lucas Thorn is the perfect anti-hero... at least to start with. He's pure alpha-hole, breezing through life without giving a sh*t about the women he hurts along the way, not even realising he's doing it. Then Avery comes along and turns everything he believed in on its head. The back-story in this one is involved and impressive, giving the story great depth and making it work in a very special way. The plot is farcical at times, but not in a bad way - more in a funny and touching way. It enables Lucas and Avery to become a couple when in reality, there's no way in hell it should be possible. A hugely enjoyable read, and one that I look forward to coming back to time and time again.

3.5/5 stars

Cheater is a contemporary romance. I would say that the book is somewhere between New Adult and Adult. It is the first book in the Curious Liaisons series. However the second book has different narrators.

The story takes place in Seattle. The narrators are Avery and Lucas.

Avery Black is 22 and has only been out of college for a few months. She applies for a paid internship at Grant Learning (her division would help assign tutors to kids at local schools).

Lucas Thorn is a 32 year old player. He is a VP of Marketing and seems to have quite a bit of money.

Going by the title and the first paragraph of the book blurb this book was quite different from what I was expecting. We are told that Lucas is a cheater and that he has a different woman for every day of the week. And while that is true, the book really isn't him constantly having sex with different women. There is a reason why Lucas acts the way that he does.

I know a lot of readers have a problem with cheating. IMO him having so many women should not bother those who dislike cheating (because of how the author writes this into the story). However, there is something to do with him having dated someone close to Avery that could upset some readers. The way it was handled made sense and did not bother me.

The book is light, fun and funny. Lucas is a playboy, but also a bit of a gentleman. The book is a bit sexy. But he is supposed to be a manwhore, yet the reader does not get to really experience this, which surprised me a lot.

Something happens with Avery and Lucas that forces them to pretend something. And I could not decide whether I found this scenario to be funny or stupid.

Overall, the book is filled with lots of flirty banter. It is fun. This book is a light fun romance that is silly and funny. It was an enjoyable read. But I wanted more twists and less predictability. However that said, the next book does sound intriguing (we find out who the narrators are at the end of this book).

3.5 for this forddiden rom com with a hidden message.

Great story! Is a story of redemption and love over time and ages. I enjoy reading it, laugh a lot with Avery and Lucas wars and altercations. They are a perfect .
Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.
Another 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ book for Rachel Van Dyken

This story was OK. It wasn't wonderful, but it wasn't horrible. It had its moments of good, and its moment's of bad. There were a couple of major sticking points for me that kept me from becoming truly involved with this story.

To begin with, Lucas comes across as much older than Avery. So much so that even he alludes to the fact that when last he saw her he kept commenting on how she was only 17. Then why, when they reconnect years later does he often act like a teenager? I expected immaturity from Avery to an extent, but Lucas should have known better. And he definitely should have not kept putting off the important conversations they needed to have, and yes, perhaps he should have thought with his "big head" and not slept with her in the first place until they had clearly defined how they felt.

I also found it very, very, hard to believe that their families were not only ok with what happened, but thrilled about it. Sure, I can understand his family being happy that he is settling down and with a girl they know and like, but speaking as a mother myself, I cannot understand how her family more or less welcomes him with open arms. Sure date my oldest daughter, become engaged to her, be found drunk in bed with my middle child, and now you tell me you're with my youngest?
I would have been more ok with Lucas' story if he had not been "keeping it in the family".

And seriously? Avery felt absolutely NO "ick" factor at sleeping with a man that had also slept with her sister? Speaking of an "ick" factor, you know he has a different girl every day of the week, you've even met some of them. And yet, the only mention of a condom being used is the first time you sleep with someone? Real smart there.

HOWEVER.

I did very much enjoy the banter between Lucas and Avery. It was obvious by the way he was able to get under her skin, and she his, so easily that they had a pre-existing friendship. I also found some of their jokes to literally make me laugh out loud. It was also nice to get a bit of an insight into the mind of a "cheater", the how and the why if you will, of what makes them what they are.

Overall, I am sure this story may still appeal to those who enjoy a different take on the romantic comedy.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Where do I start?
I 100% throughly enjoyed this book. Rachel should be named queen of Romantic comedy. Because she does an outstanding job each time. I laughed so hard at times that tears ran down my face. This book shout get 10 stars

3.5 stars

I'll admit, when I first saw the title, I was a bit nervous. I'm not a fan of cheating books at all. But as I was reading I realized that this had nothing that would make me stop reading.

Cheater was funny, but not over the top, and rather sweet. It's more of a frenemies to lovers type of book and I really did get a kick out of it. The banter between these two was my favorite part.

If you're looking for a break from all the angst and crazy emotional reads, then I recommend picking this book up.

Cheater is one of those books people are probably either going to love or hate. It's title alone is a testament to what's to come in this romance. But don't write Cheater off simply because cheating is a turnoff for you. It's one of those stories that can't quite be judged by that trigger.

Lucas Thorne has come to terms with the fact that he's a cheater. To avoid making the horrible mistake he made ruining his own wedding, he's come up with a system that works for him to avoid hurting yet another unsuspecting woman. Things are going great until his ex-fiancée's younger sister turns out to be his newest employee. Being around Avery again reminds Lucas of what once was and what might possibly could be.

I have to admit that when I first started Cheater I was a lot turned off by Lucas Thorne and his hoard of women. Imagining my hero with a bunch of women isn't exactly something I like to do. There were little sparks of hope for Lucas Thorne, though; so I kept reading. I'm happy I did because there were so many pieces to the Lucas Thorne puzzle that were revealed that reshaped the way I saw him. I didn't find him to be the perfect hero, but one that was ultimately good underneath all of his flaws.

Avery was a little shocking to me. I didn't really get her attraction to Lucas at first. I expected the hate and rudeness she doled out, but wasn't ready for that to morph into something completely opposite. I had to keep reminding me that people fall in love with the siblings' exes all the time.

What made me end up falling in love with Lucas and Avery's relationship was the way their separate and combined histories were shared piece by piece. Once I had the whole picture, it was easy to see how perfect they were for each other. I loved how their relationship ended up playing out and every little bit of craziness that happened along the way.

I've always enjoyed Rachel Van Dyken's books, but I have to give her extra props for making fall in love with a cheater. If that doesn't prove what a talented writer she is, I don't know what would. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I can only imagine how Rachel Van Dyken is going to redeem the next cheater.

I honestly did not enjoy the storyline. I found it a bit creepy that the hero was so casual about dating two sisters and kissing a third, I was so uncomfortable that the family didn't find it weird either. I felt it was unrealistic and it distracted me too much to actually enjoy the writing. I still love this author's work and will continue to read it but I could not get on board with this storyline :(

I've enjoyed several Rachel Van Dyken books; they're fun reads filled with steamy romance and big personalities.

Cheater is pretty much the same, but I didn't find it nearly as engaging as other Van Dyken books. There is some ick to the story line that some readers will find (and have found, according to other reviews) hard to get over, namely that the love interest was once engaged to the Avery's oldest sister until he was found in a compromising position with the middle sister the night before the wedding. Whoooops.

Fast forward about 4 years later when broke college grad Avery lands an internship at the same place Lucas works. She's his new assistant. She's also responsible for keeping up with his "other calendar," which is where he sets up his dates with his girl-of-the-day, i.e. Molly for Monday, Tabitha for Tuesday (not really, there are actually two on Tuesday, but he doesn't go so far as to call it Twofer Tuesday). This set up is pretty gross, even though each girl knows about all the other girls and they're all fine with it. (Of course Avery thinks it's disgusting.)

The story takes a turn when Lucas's sister mistakenly comes to the conclusion that Lucas and Avery are together. Suddenly their families think they're in a relationship and both are hesitant to set the record straight, for a variety of reasons. Hilarity and make-out scenes ensue (well, you can be the judge of the hilarity).

And, of course, Lucas has had a thing for Avery since she was 17 (and he was 27...another possible ick factor). They fight, they kiss, they fight some more. The back and forth between the two of them is kind of fun.

I did find some of the plot points of Cheater a little over the top and I had some difficulty getting over them. There's a family dinner that's just completely bonkers. Some of the side characters felt flat, as well, such as literally every single sister.

This was a fast read and I liked Avery, even though she seemed pretty young. And, as it turns out, she is young--she's a young woman trying to find her way in the world, build her career, and get over being in love with her sister's ex-fiancé. I didn't particularly like that ex-fiancé as much and he definitely did not seem like a 32-year-old.

If a friend came to me interested in a Rachel Van Dyken book, I would not recommend he or she start with this one.

It took me about half way through to really get into Cheater. I just couldn't really get attached to the characters at first. It has a good storyline but I really just couldn't connect. I will purchase the book once it's released and do a reread. I love Rachel's other books and I was disappointed in myself haha for not getting into it. Maybe the second go around my mind will delve into it better! Thanks.

From the blurb, I thought I would be okay, but I ended up being so much better than okay. I loved Lucas from the start, and Avery was no pushover. They both had issues from the past to overcome, although they weren't all what you'd expect. The side characters ranged from awesome to evil, and that was kind of perfect, too!
This was a funny, sexy, and undeniably sweet read I'd recommend for anyone who loves a good fight for an HEA!

I really enjoyed this book. I've seen a lot of negative reviews due to the title...so once the book is live, I'll need to get some reviews started! I hope there are more books in this series!

3.5 STARS

Cheater really goes against everything I typically look for in a book. I like a deep, thought-provoking storyline. Cheater is light and fluffy. I prefer believability, even in my fiction. Cheater is pretty over the top. I'm not typically into rom-com unless I'm REALLY in the mood for it, which is rare. Cheater is silly, the antics and humorous jabs are relentless.

And yet, I couldn't put it down.

As I read, I kept saying to myself, "this is so not my thing." "This is so over the top, unbelievable." "This is just silly."

But something kept me riveted. Underneath the too-crazy-to-be-believed antics, and the outlandish, convoluted storyline, there is a romantic connection between two characters that can't be denied. I had to know where it would go. I had to know what happened so long ago that made Lucas Thorne a cheater. I had to see that cheater redeem himself. I had to see THIS girl knock THIS guy right on his butt.

Rachel Van Dyken is a seriously smart writer, an incredibly clever storyteller. I'll admit that the antics were, at times, more silly than funny. And there was so much happening that bordered on ridiculous, I caught myself shaking my head over the fact that I was still reading considering this book truly goes against everything I typically enjoy. But that speaks volumes about what RVD does here with this book. I was hooked. I never considered not reading it. From the very first page I knew I had to know where this book would go.

The story really had me with the title. I don't avoid cheating in books, not because I condone cheating or necessarily enjoy it, but because heartbreak and betrayal make my heart hurt and that's something I do want in every book I read. I like to feel. I need it. But this take on cheating is a bit different. This book offers up enough angst and heart tugs to appease a reader like me, but it's also light and fluffy enough to appease the readers that would typically avoid a cheater like the plague. This plot is refreshing and fun but it has a seriousness to it that creeps through the humor in just the right way, adding emotional depth without making it too heavy. Essentially, it has all the right ingredients for a really great rom com.

This book had some seriously hilarious Laugh Out Loud moments. And there were also times where I grew a bit tired of Avery and Lucas avoiding the serious conversations that needed to be had by kidding around and constantly hiding behind poorly timed jokes. Some of that was too over the top for me. But that's MY hang up. I'm the girl that doesn't read a ton of rom com. So I get it. You have to check your hang ups at the door with this one. You have to be fully prepared for OTT antics. If you're not prepared like I wasn't, well, Rachel Van Dyken will probably lure you in anyway. And you'll enjoy this story. And she'll make you laugh. And feel all ooey gooey. And you'll be glad you stepped out of the box. Because this story is really adorable. It was not at all what I was expecting. I laughed, I was angered, I swooned, I was entertained.

Lucas Thorn is a cheater. Avery Black still has not forgiven him for cheating on her big sister. When Avery gets a paid internship, she has no idea she's going to come face to face with the man she hates.

I will admit that I had reservations about reading this book because of the title. I'm not a fan of books about cheating at all. However, this is not your typical cheating book. I actually ended up loving this book and the chance to learn about Lucas's past.

As usual, Rachel did a knock out job with his book. Told from dual POVs, it was interesting to learn about Lucas and Avery's past. From the interaction between Lucas and his parents to the chemistry between Lucas and Avery, you really can't go wrong with Cheater.

“This is my story. You will hate it. You will hate me.”

^^^^I thought that was secret porn code for “you will love it and splooge yourself all over everywhere,” but it turns out he kind of wasn’t lying. But what do I know???? I suck turtle.s

The story here is of Lucas Thorn and Avery Black (yay for actual human names!!!!). Lucas and Avery go way back . . . all the way to when they were kids and Lucas was childhood sweethearts and eventually engaged to her sister. A disastrous case of mistaken identity found Lucas en flagrante with yet another sister thus making with a cease and desist of the nuptials and Lucas labeled as he who shall not be named among the members of the Black family. Fastforward several years and Avery discovering her new boss is . . . you guessed it. Lucas. The new Lucas has a different girl for every day of the week in order to make sure he’s never caught “cheating” again – but can all that change when the truth of what actually happened so many years ago finally comes out?

I’ve mentioned before I absolutely adore Rachel Van Dyken. She is an autoclick for me whenever a new release comes out and she writes the best stories. Good characters, so much chemistry, not icky smexytimes. I REALLY appreciated what she tried to do here by writing something fresh rather than following the formula of using one of the handful of tired tropes most porny writers choose. And Lucas and Avery where amazing together. Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut, I just couldn’t get over the used to be engaged to her sister part. I don’t think the family would have ever been able to get over it either. Not to mention the age difference back-in-the-day was kind of at the statutory level so that raised the ol’ hinky meter a bit too. For all of those reasons I just can’t let myself give this more than 3 Stars. I wasn’t offended by anything – it just didn’t work for me and seemed way too unrealistic. I guess I really channeled my inner Ron 2.0 on this one. Someone call the fun police.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!