Lauren Layne takes on the enemies-to-lovers trope in the latest installment of the Oxford series, and after Lincoln's heartbreaking story in the last one, the tone and setting of I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE does come as a bit of a shock. Lauren Layne pits Nick Ballantine against Taylor Carr whom we saw in the last book as characters who hate each other for unexplained reasons but finally makes it clear here it's not as simple as hating each other's guts from the start. It's instead something that has festered over a period of a year as Nick and Taylor grew into their dislike for each other. Bad timing, lost chances and poor choices with far-reaching consequences merely exacerbated what could have been a much less antagonistic relationship as I wondered if they could ever resolve things between them despite the mutual attraction both had for each other.

I found my sympathies between Nick and Taylor shifting so frequently that it was difficult to decide whether I could really go for them as a couple. For a fair bit of the story, they used each other's weaknesses against each other and that made it difficult to separate the fine line between love and hate simply because they couldn't plainly say what they wanted without being snippy about it. There were times I was horrified that Nick used his words to eviscerate Taylor when she was hurting, just as much as I couldn't understand why Taylor allowed the brief rejection from Nick to turn into unmitigated loathing as she held fast to the mantra of never appearing weak to anyone. Their own personal histories have left deep scars on them and as Ms. Layne typically writes it, these are the very aspects of themselves that they've used to hit each other with the hardest in the final, catastrophic fight before the resolution arrives. In the end, the games Nick and Taylor played—whether accidentally hostile or not—felt like it simply came down to their inability to communicate plainly and their unwillingness to give themselves the chance that things could turn out both different and better. Throw some respective exes (rebound or not) that came into the picture and all I could think was that there was a huge, hot mess that surely had to take more than a peace treaty to untangle.

As far the Oxford series goes, I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE is the most volatile one that I've ever been through. Somehow I emerged from this whole reading experience feeling dazed and whiplashed, still sore from the barbs and the potshots Nick/Taylor had taken at each other, but grateful nonetheless that Lauren Layne always writes an uncompromising HEA.

~ 3.5 Stars ~

So as I read more and more books, I have come to realize that I’m not a huge fan of the Enemies to Lovers trope. If written correctly I have fallen in love with the book, but if not written just right then I find I can struggle with the story.

That was my problem with I Knew You Were Trouble. I’m not saying it wasn’t written correctly, because HELLO it’s Laure Layne, but the characters she gave us in the book weren’t my favorite in the Oxford Series. To be honest when we met them in Lincoln’s book I was excited to find out we were getting another book for Nick and Taylor. But sadly they didn’t live up to what I have come to expect from a Lauren Layne novel.

Really it was only Taylor’s character I had trouble with. I loved Nick, but Taylor came off as cold and kind of B*tchy. I think I could’ve liked her more had we seen more of what we get in the last 25% of the book. I think had we seen the nicer side to Taylor sooner, I could’ve fallen in love with her character and it would’ve made her and Nick’s connection a little more believable. I think that mixed in with all the angst and excess drama (Bradley and Kelsey) it made it hard for me to connect with this storyline.

Now with all that said, I did enjoy this book and it did effect all my emotions, some more than others, and I did end with a HUGE smile on my face. Which is the case with all Lauren Layne books. This just wasn’t my favorite in this Oxford Series. Please don’t shy away from reading this book because of my comments alone. This book could very well be a 5 star read for you.

I Knew You Were Trouble is the fourth book in the Oxford Series and is a standalone told in Dual POV from the third person. This book I truly feel is a complete standalone and no other book needs to be read before reading this one. I say that because Lauren didn’t really focus on many of the other characters from the other books in this series. In the other books the previous characters played a larger roll, but that wasn’t the case in this book. The secondary characters that we saw in the book, Hunter and Brit, I don’t remember meeting them before. With as much as we saw them in this book, I am thinking maybe there will be one more book coming :) I hope *crosses Fingers*

I did like seeing Daisy and Lincoln again in this story, even though they aren’t in this story that much. I would’ve liked a little more of an update when it came to them, but I also liked that she kept the focus of this book on Nick and Taylor.

So if you are a fan of the Enemies to Lovers story then this is one I think you should read. Just know this book is filled with drama and angst. But remember you will end this story with a smile on your face.

ARC received from: Netgalley

Rating: 3.5*

Trope: Enemies Turned Lovers

Chemistry: Low Boil

One-Sentence Summary: Bickering colleagues and roommates become something more

Review: I look forward to every new book in the Stiletto/Oxford series with great great anticipation and I am usually well rewarded.

It would be unfair to say I didn't enjoy this one, because I did but it didn't quite reach the stellar heights of the rest of the series. I think the fact that the first few chapters are based around a series of time jumps didn't help. Nor did the (view spoiler) which isn't my favourite plot move ever. I also wanted to strangle Bradley with my bare hands.

I absolutely love the idea of a Hunter/Brit friends-turned-lovers romance and can only hope that Layne is just teasing us when she says that I Knew You Were Trouble is the last book in the series.

4.5 Enemies to Lovers Stars!!

"He wanted to figure out how to fix the part of her that was broken--not because she was a project, or even because she was flawed, because they were all flawed, but because..."

"Her aunt had taught her a hell of a lot, but there was one crucial life skill that her guardian had never passed on. How to survive a broken heart."

What an amazing, amazing addition to the Oxford Series!! This series just keeps getting better and better!!

I Knew You Were Trouble is a swoon-worthy, enemies to lovers romance that will grab on to your heart and give you all the feels.

Told from dual points of view, I Knew You Were trouble follows the story of Nick and Taylor. Taylor thought she had it all: an amazing job, fantastic boyfriend and an amazing apartment. Yes, all was going well until move in day....On move in day, Taylor finds herself slapped with a Dear John Letter and an expensive apartment. So, what's a girl to do? Look for a room mate of course. However, the last thing she ever expected was to find herself living with Nick. Nick is sexy, smart and isn't locked down to just one particular job. On the outside, he is the total package. The one problem? He is Taylor's biggest enemy. But, desperate times call for desperate measures....Nick likes to think of himself as the fixer. He can fix and solve any problem. The one thing he'd like to fix: Taylor. He knows she is the total package, but can't handle the vulnerability that she has going on. However now that the two are living together, there are only so many places to hide and with chemistry like theirs, it won't be long until it explodes. Will Nick and Taylor give in to the intense feelings that they've developed? Or will Nick let one little roadblock stop him from getting everything he could have possibly wanted?? You'll just have to pick up this book and find out for yourself.

What can I say about I Knew You Were Trouble? Well, I loved it. I thought this story was well written and entertaining. It was smart and I really enjoyed the quick wit. I loved the banter between Nick and Taylor. Their total dislike for one another added to their already amazing chemistry, leaving you with some intense will they/won't they moments. I'm not gonna lie, I couldn't wait for these two to get together. The sexual tension was just nuts! Sexual tension aside, I though the characters were a lot of fun and they intrigued me. I found them really easy to relate to and couldn't wait to discover more about them.

I Knew You Were Trouble was a wonderful read from beginning to end. It hooked me from page one and had me quickly devouring each and every page. I Knew You Trouble checked off all my boxes and was exactly the book I was looking for. This book made me laugh. It made me swoon. It pulled at my heart and kept me begging for more. And it had just the right amount of angst and drama.

I Knew You Were Trouble totally exceeded my expectations, providing me with an amazing enemies to lovers romance that not only warmed my heart, but gave me all the feels.

I am a big fan of the author and this series is my FAVORITE. I am so glad the author is introducing new characters at Oxford. This is Nick and Taylors story and they were characters introduced in the last book featuring Daisy and Lincoln. If you love frienenemies stories or enemies to lovers story or work romances then you will LOVE this story.

Taylor is gorgeous but inside she is beyond lonely. Her life will make you cry. She really has never had anyone stay and love her. So many people think she is cold and unfeeling, ice princessey. And that is what happens when she meets Nick, a part time writer at her new job. He calls her an ice princess and she never forgives him for that.

Nick is actually going thru a rough time when he meets Taylor and he is sorry he said that to her but she won't let it go and so they become enemies. They also have a very strong attraction but he can't be with her because he has a girl friend and when he doesn't then she is with a co worker and so they form this attraction/hate relationship.

Now here is a warning: This story features exes a lot. Nick is dating someone when he meets Taylor and he has many girlfriends after. Meanwhile Taylor dates Bradley and it gets serious and you see that alot during the beginning of this story. So while it should not stop you from reading this story, it is something you should expect.

This story starts out very slow burn like. It starts one year before and then fast forwards with significant events throughout that year. The dating of the beginning is very important and I loved that the author wrote it in this way. It was unexpected though and so I had to go back and read from the beginning as it was not what I expected.

For a bit of the story Taylor dates Bradley a co-worker but on the day they move in together, he writes her a Dear John letter. So she gets stuck with this beautiful apartment but needs to share the rent. Nick, has an ex who won't leave his place, so he decides to move in with Taylor, his friendenemy.

And shall I say this is where the fun starts. The two don't magically fall in love. They have lots of more banter and anger for the other. And I liked that they never rush anything, even when they both agree they are very attracted. Beyond that I am not spoiling anymore about this story. It was a wonderful trip to Oxford and I cannot wait for more stories.