Shortcake by Lucy Watson was absolutely hilarious! Romantic comedies are my favorite and Lucy Watson wrote a good one. I loved Amelia and I loved Ben. This was a great enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy. I definitely recommend it.

This was a new author to me and I must say I liked this story and didn't want it to end. I really liked it.

So good! Shortcake made me giggle, and cry, and stay up too late. Shortcake and Ben were wonderful characters, in fact they were all great. It was the perfect mix of funny and sweet and sexy. This is a new to me author but I'll be sure to look for more of her books from now on!

Emelia Anderson is a caretaker trying to start a new life and escape her past. Being a caretaker for Rose, she finds friendship. But then Rose passes and she finds herself coming face to face with Rose’s family, and Rose’s brooding Grandson Ben. How can this man be the same one who Rose referred to as “Sweet Benny” or wrote all those emails Emelia read each night to Rose. He is the exact opposite in person.

Benjamin Crawford thinks Emelia is a con artist who took advantage of his dying grandmother. Why else would she leave half her estate to an almost stranger?

Rose’s has conditions for Em and Ben to collect the estate and inheritance:
The two of them have to live together for 30 days and renovate the home following a strict time frame. With random check ins to make sure they are actually following through, or else the estate gets passed on to the only person Ben hates more than Emelia.

I just want to say WOW! This novel had me laughing out loud! The tension between Ben and Em was so steamy! I have no words to describe it. Em and Ben try to make each others lives miserable doing insane things. The tension was so intense it made up for the fact that the steamy moments didn’t happen until ¾ through! It was written in such a way that it felt almost better than the intimate moments. I love love love enemies to lovers tropes / slow burn rom-coms and this was absolutely perfect! I loved every single character lucy created and I hope she writes more featuring the others! I would love to see Mara and Nick’s story since it was implied they have a connection! This novel should be on your radar if you are a Rom-Com lover!!

Thanks so much to @lucywatsonbooks / @netgalleyfor the advanced copy for an honest review!

2.25 Stars / 1 Steam Fan

I wanted to enjoy this book; however, it was very all over the place. It started off in a good way with Emelia and Ben inheriting his grandmother's estate under crazy circumstances. Ben has had some issues in his past that are sort of touched upon throughout the story but are not fully resolved or explained. Emelia or Emmy was Ben's grandmother's caretaker because of her past, there was some weird incestuous triangle going on with her step-cousin, and her awkwardness was never fully explained. The story was filled with 80s, 90s, and 2000s pop-culture references and movie quotes that were never really explained. For 90% of the story I was irritated with both characters although we only got one side of the story through Emmy's voice. I am glad that I pushed through to the end but the sweet ending didn't save the rating, explain, or provide enough resolution for the story.

This specific video review will be included in the September 2019 wrap-up.

For other video book reviews check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.

(Also posted on my GR account)

Shortcake, in my opinion, was too serious to be called a romantic comedy (or chicklit, if you will). But, and it's a big but, it was too fun to be called just romance/drama. I mean, I laughed and shed a tear or two for the first 20%.

The cover is cute and attention-grabbing, the title is befitting, the plot promises fun and sexy time and it delivered (kinda) for about 70%. Now, let's talk about characterization.

Emelia is definitely my favorite here, no contest. She was hilarious and her inner-monologues often brought laughing. I could feel her agony, her desperate attempt to not fall in love with Ben and her love to Rose.

Ben? Ben rhymes with caveman, and that's what he is. In fact, the book was filled with cavemen, men who throw their women on their shoulder and only communicating with growls and grunts.

And that's one of my problem with the book.

Another was how this book gave me whiplash during Rose's funeral. Like, Ben and Em were being quite understanding with each other before Ben hated Em again with every inch of his life. And, since Ben is a caveman, of course he didn't freaking communicate and got mad and bad towards Em.

All is forgiven tho since he's the modern adonis. Where Em is certainly the reincarnation of aphrodite (but she doesn't know it, shh).

And finally, I made a face when I reached 98% and it presented another obstacle. This is just another way of me saying the book ended abruptly. Oh, it has a happy ending, don't worry, just too abrupt.

So good makes me want to reread it

Absolutely loved this book! The writing is funny and filled with sarcasm but also sexy. The characters all play a part in this story and you feel like they're family by the end. Emmy is a hot mess that we love to see unravel, embarrass and lose control.....with Ben. He's an angry and closed off mess that has so many layers to shed from the moment he arrives. You're really not sure what's happening at some moments, frustrated that they're not happening the next and yet completely satisfied at the same time. This wasn't meant to confuse you, just wanted you to see that there is actually a story involved - not always perfect but so worth the read. Can't wait to see what you've got planned next Lucy.
I received an advanced copy from Netgalley for my honest opinion.

Lucy Watson’s debut novel, Shortcake, is a true enemies-to-lovers novel that fans of The Hating Game will adore.

Emelia Anderson is the nurse and live-in caretaker of Rose, a wealthy elderly woman. Rose becomes the friend and confidant that Emelia desperately needs. Once Rose passes away, Emelia finds out that Rose left half of her multimillion dollar estate to Emelia and the other half to her broody grandson, Ben. Ben absolutely cannot stand Emelia because he thinks she conned his sweet, elderly grandma into leaving her half of the estate. Emelia is not Ben’s biggest fan either and cannot stand his negative attitude. In order to inherit the millions Rose left behind, Emelia and Ben have to live together for thirty days following Rose’s specific renovation plans. The two must learn to work together or the estate will transfer back to the one person Ben despises the most and Emelia will have to move back to the one place she is tried so hard to desperately escape.

This novel was very engaging and pulled me in from the first few pages. I absolutely adored the main character, Emelia. She is funny, quirky, and totally endearing. Her inner thoughts had me cracking up time and time again. I do however wish we saw more depth from Ben instead of just his broody, domineering side. I think seeing the softer side of Ben a little bit more would have made him more appealing and allowed him to become more relatable to the readers. The romantic spark between the characters was palpable and I loved slow build of the romance. At times the slow-burn did feel a little too slow and I was SO ready for more action between the two characters. I also wish the story would have dove deeper into each character’s past because some of the details seemed glossed over and rushed. It might have felt rushed because I honestly enjoyed this novel and just wanted to know more.

Overall, it was a great debut novel full of chuckles, banter, and angst. It’s a true enemies-to-lovers novel entwined with a slow-burn Romance. I would totally recommend this book if you’re looking for a quick romantic comedy.

3.5 stars from me!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Author for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.

Emelia and Benjamin have been left the estate of Benjamin’s grandmother via her will. Benjamin believes that Emelia has conned his dying grandmother into giving her half of an estate worth a lot of money. They definitely do not like each other. Conditions of the will state that the two must live together in the home and make the necessary repairs stated in the will. The two do their best to work together because if they don’t, the estate will default to the one person Benjamin hates more than Emilia.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I really like the enemies to lovers storyline. It made me laugh out loud and cry. Such a great set of characters and some serious heat! Ultimately, I really enjoyed the journey it took for Ben and Emmy to get together. Lots of angst and sweet moments. I want to tell everyone I know to read this book and read it now! One of my tops reads of 2019 so far!

A thousand times better than I could’ve hoped for, this poignant rom com has a definite Hating Game vibe mixed with emotion that packs a punch. The chemistry sparking between our couple was electric from the moment they laid eyes on each other, and I absolutely loved their constant bickering/bantering that made every scene between them combustible. I’ve never been more frustrated by a book for not being dual perspective, but it definitely added tension to the story. If you’re a fan of enemies to lovers romance, this is a must read.

The story follows Emelia, a nurse who had been caring for a wealthy old woman until her recent death. When Rose’s family comes to town for the funeral, Emmy meets Ben, the grandson she always heard spoken of with such affection. But Ben is nothing like she expected; he’s dark and broody with a serious attitude. Emmy can’t decide if it’s his way of grieving or just a nasty personality... but his wrath seems to be focused on her. Things don’t get any better when Ben discovers that Rose split her estate between them, so long as they fulfill a list of obligations. Forced to live and work together, Ben and Emmy continue to feud, but their battles slowly seem to turn into a game of sorts and Emmy no longer knows what to make of the man she’s sharing a home with.

It’s not a perfect book; there are things that I would really, REALLY have liked Ben’s perspective on, and the lack of communication between these two seriously got on my nerves at times, but there was never a time when I was not 100% invested in where the story was going. Watson’s writing style makes it easy to get engrossed in the book from the start, and I was rooting for these two right away. It’s a slow burn that still has plenty of sexual tension, and the chemistry was off the charts. It’s also extremely funny and unique, with plenty of heavier emotion added to the mix. These characters are grieving and emotions are heightened, so it’s certainly not all fun and games between them. I loved the other characters introduced in the book, which I’m hoping will lead to future stories (there is one subplot that remains glaringly unresolved at the end, so I’m assuming it will be handled in that character’s book). When I received an ARC from NetGalley, I had no idea how much I was going to love this, but I’m so glad I gave this new author a chance. I am voluntarily leaving a review of this feisty, funny and frustrating book.

Have you ever read a book that when you’re done you want to immediately tell everyone you’ve ever met that they have to read that book?

This is that book for me! Go now and buy this book! I’m so book hungover I want to read it all over again because I never wanted it to end! The fact this is Lucy Watson’s first book is mind blowing because it was off the chart good and is definitely on my top 3 all time fave books.

I’ve never laughed so hard at a book ever from start to finish this book is hilarious Emelias inner dialogue could be a comedy show. There’s so many awesome movie references in this book it just made this book so fun and easy to read. To make it even better The sexual tension between her and Ben is unbelievable and I love enemy to lover romances! To top off the perfection that is this book the steam which doesn’t come until later in the book is so hot 🔥 have some cold water nearby to cool you off!

If I had to make one complaint I was a little upset that a major relationship of Emelias was kind of left without proper closure but I have so much love for this book I don’t even care!

Huge Praise to Lucy Watson and please write more books ASAP because I need to read them now!

Emelia is a live-in nurse whose patient and friend, Rose passes away and leaves her with much more that anyone expected. Rose’s family is shocked and more than put out to find that a virtual stranger will be inheriting a large portion of Rose’s estate, especially her grandson, Ben, with whom she has left the other half of her estate. Rose’s very specific last will and testament leaves Emilia and Ben living in such close proximity that Emilia is one hundred percent convinced that she won’t be making it out alive. Ben’s broody, angsty, and insanely sexy attitude and face don’t make things any easier on Emelia and every day is a battle to see who can send the other running for the hills.

This one is the slowest of slow burns. Truly. I loved Ben & Emelia’s banter and sexual chemistry and LOL’ed on several occasions while reading their hilarious and at times, childish antics. Their feelings for each other brim at the surface from beginning to end and just when you think they’re about to reach a fever pitch, it’s like the author comes in with a huge bucket of ice water and douses the fire. I do feel like certain aspects of the book felt a little repetitive. Several phrases felt overused and even though I love a slow burn I found myself thinking, “okay this is great but I’m really going to need something to happen before the book actually ends.” That being said, I really and truly enjoyed this book as well as the author’s humor and writing style. As with most slow burns, I enjoyed the ride but wanted to enjoy the scenery a bit more once we reached our destination, if you know what I’m saying. I so look forward to reading more from this author!

This book was laugh out loud funny and so entertaining. The beginning was a bit sad but after you read through the first two chapters your on an amazing roller coaster ride. At first you feel like you want to strangle Ben for being a jerk, but then you see how much do a bad a** Emilia is, and how she can’t give as good as she gets. Emilia and Ben make an amazing team. I was in love with this book and all th other characters as well, so I hope to read more books to come.

BOOK REVIEW: Shortcake by @lucywatsonbooks

4.5 stars

This was SO much better than I expected! As the front cover says, it certainly is a sexy romantic comedy. What it doesnt say is that this is not your ordinary chick lit book.
Let's start with the characters. Emelia is our leading lady and I had a few small problems with her to begin with but as the story continued, the way she is makes sense and I completely loved her quirky little ways and need to help other people.
Our leading man is Ben. He was an absolute arse to begin with but that was needed for the enemies to lovers theme of the book. He is a deeply complex character for what looks like a light hearted book.
That is what made this book so great for me. The very real and quite awful problems the characters have and what they have lived through. It made me route for them eben mkre and added to the absolute joy when we see good things happen for them.
Lucy Watson really mastered writing about the small but important little things and body language that added real depth to many scenes. You could almost picture every single scene because of how well described every moment was (without being boring at all).
And yes there are smutty, sexy moments that were well done 😉.
I knocked down half a star only because of the slight abusive behaviour in one part.
To sum up: I devoured this book in a day, it was a great sexy rom com book and made me laugh out loud and well up with tears at a few points. I WANT A SEQUEL!

This is self published and I can't find it on Amazon so have no idea how others can read it but I will look into it for you all!!

Thank you to netgalley and Lucy Watson for gifting me this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 Hilarious Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
This is a new to me author and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience,
When you have a lonely invalid, sick, housebound... you need a full charge nurse. Luckily Emelia Anderson fit that bill and worked for Rose for a short time. The time may have been short but the bonding and caring for each other wasn't short-lived. In fact, when Rose did pass she did something which would change a lot of people's lives.

Benjamin Crawford was very sorry to have his grandmother pass. He loved her, may have not been out to see her as much as he would have liked...but he hoped she knew he cared. His grandmother was never one to leave anything to chance and so when there was a reading of the will, Ben was shocked just like everyone else.

You see Rose decided she knew best for those she loved and manipulated a situation...Yes, Rose took charge even when she was no longer on this earth by naming half of the estate to Emelia and half to Ben.

They both get to have their share if and only if they complete a list of updates and tasks for the next 30 days. If they do not do them or one of them leaves early, then everything goes to the hated and despised father.

With that as the outcome, Ben decides to play this game...He is positive Emelia tricked his granny into this and doesn't trust her one bit. The joke is Emelia had nothing to do with any of this and is only working this project because it was Rose's last wish.

This is a romance story...so we know there is going to be a "Come to Jesus moment" for Ben and Emelia when they realize they are so right for each other. In the meantime, there is lots of fun and humor., romance and finally a HEA.

After reading the blurb on what this book was about I knew I was in for a hilarious ride. The basic premise is imagine having to be stuck and work with someone you absolutely despise for 30 days! I don't think I could make it! Emelia's character was so funny and great. I want to say more, but I don't want to give away the ending. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Characters🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Story🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Hero🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Heroine🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Banters🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Cliffhangers- n/a
Cheating-nope.no.nada.
Did I love it more than The Hating Game?-guilty as charged.
Will I recommend it? - hells yeah🤭

Perfect for the fans of "The Hating Game" by sally thorne. Best enemies-to-lovers book I have read in a while! Hands down! And don't even get me started of the move referrences in this book. Our girl is a movie junkie just like yours truly😜.

"“Big mistake. Big. Huge ,” I say, giving him my best Julia Roberts impression as I walk out the front door, letting the sun warm my cheeks. The sound of his rich laughter follows me as he shuts the door."

I loved the cover,the blurb and also in love with the books name. There's nothing about this one that I dont love. Not.A.Thing! **I swooned everytime Ben called her 'Shortcake'.Every.damn.time**
This book is a delight. Nothing can sway my love for it.

have to thank netgalley and also the author lucy watson for generously providing me the ARC of this book. I loved it the first time I saw this and I was very happy to read this one in advance.
It is safe to say that it is one of the best enemies to lovers book I have read in a while. It has quickly become one of my all time favourite reads. The story started with our protagonist Emmy after the the person she works for (Rose) dies and she was on her way out of the house and her(rose's) family's life when her grandson Ben suddenly returns home for the funeral. And lo and behold they get off the wrong foot with each other. Ben makes it clear of what he thinks about her. He actually accuses her of trying to steal from his beloved decreased grandmother inspite of Emmy trying to convince him otherwise and he became furious when it was revealed that Rose directed Emmy and Ben to work together for 30 days in order to renovate her estate or else everything,abosolutely everything will be handed over to Ben's father(whom he hates). Given this conditions,these two had no other options but to live togather and also work togather for the next month and tolerate each other and come out of this situation alive(if they can help it😜). Anyways, what happens next is exactly what one expects when you mix water and oil. They refuse to mix togather. Thats exactly the example of what happened to these two. They flat out refused to co-orporate. But do you think that it was just simply hate at first sight? ....think again. Ben and Emmy were both attracted to each other. Ben even more so because the dude actually sent a pic to her cousin(who Ben thought was her bf) in an attempt to mark his territory(yupp I know boys are like that🙄). And our Emmy is not left far behind the mark let me tell you. She could give Ben a run for his money. These two fight with each other like an old married couple but their first meaningful milestone in their story was encountered when Ben fell sick and Emmy took care of him the whole time and never left his side even for a moment! And how does he repaid her you say? Well he asked her how much he should pay her back for her services(what a jerk right?...gahhh). And lets not forget Ben's totally gorgeous and totally funny and goof ball friends. There's the mischevious artisty Nick, the suave,movie crazy Win who was interested in Emmy and also the standoffish, quiet,wierd,grumpy Jeremy. These boys were hillarious and Emmy hit it all with most of them especially with Win. But that never happened since Ben told the guys to stay away from Emmy. He also made dibs on her even when they were fighting six ways to sunday! These two were a phenomenon together. You would want to buy popcorn and sit in front of them and watch them fight. And don't even get me started on their chemistry. They are burning hot together. These two find themselves in hit water wherever they go. Somewhere along all the fights and the accusitions and stolen moments they actually managed to land themselves in a marriage proposal that afterwards neither of them knows how to back down from. Blizzare right? And if its not all Ben refuses to back down from the wedding and along the way also manages to fall in love with each other! But falling in love never meant that they stopped fighting with each other or else fighting for each other. My heart broke for young Ben and the tragedy that poor boy that to endure. And Emmy too had to go through a lot which ended her previous marriage. This is seriously one of the best enemies to lovers book I have read in a long long long time. And to be honest I am glad I requested it and also that Netgalley approved. I read it three times since I received it and everytime didn't know how to review this wonderful book. Lucy watson's romance debut was a total hit for me. Exactly the kind of thing I would expect from a good romantic comedy.I seriously can't pinpoint the eact moment I fell in love with this one! There are so many wonderful moments and I really can't do any justice to all of them. I really don't want to spoil this story by saying anything more but really really really would recommend it to all romance readers out there wanting to read a decent rom-com. Believe me you would love it! Would have given a six star(🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟) if I could. Happy reading..... xoxo.

Wow, this was hilarious, sexy and did I say hilarious!!! I wasn’t expecting that and I loved every page. The flow of the story was perfect and the characters were so well written, the authors leaves you want more.

Shortcake was great fun read!! Emelia and Ben were brought together when Ben's grandmother, Rose, passes away and due to the stipulations in her will they have to live together and renovate her house. Emelie was Rose's caretaker. Emelia and Ben start on the wrong foot because he has a bad misconception of her. He thinks Emelia conned his grandmother to leave her money in her will.
Due to them having to work together to accomplish Rose's last wish they both butt heads. Their bantering was delicious to read. They both wouldn't give in and made for some of the funniest scenes I've read. Their relationship slowly evolves and we get to see how they are falling for each other, but will not admit to it. He did say some hurtful things to her, but due to this book told only by her POV as a reader we don't understand of why he did this. Was he fighting his feelings for her earlier on? Or did he really not like her? I did like how Em held her ground and gave as much as she got. Her only weakness was due to what happened to her in past. Something that she later confesses and it's so heart breaking. I liked how Ben listened to her and offered comfort. When he also talks about his past, Em also offers comfort.
He still pushes her buttons to the end, but his smiles change. They become sweet and not smirk-y.
His friends were a wonderful addition to the story. I loved how they enjoyed making Ben jealous. I do hope they get their own stories!!

Great story and highly recommend it!!
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC given through NetGalley for an honest review.

First off, thank you for the chance to read Shortcake! This book was a solid 4. star book for me! I instantly was sucked into the characters and storyline.. and this book was funny!! The internal dialogue from Emmy had me cracking up through the entire book! Shortcake was a very easy, quick read that I didn’t mind losing sleep to finish!


When Rose dies, she has some very specific instructions left in her will for her caretaker, Emmy, and grandson, Ben. Will these two pass the test?