This book was a cute, behind-the-scenes, reality tv show that centres on the outdoors but aims to cultivate romance.

The storyline was something that I’ve never read before and it was interesting to see how relationships might develop off-camera. Amity was a sweet girl but I think she was downplayed too much. I would have rather she wasn’t presented as a ditzy, attention-seeking blonde but I understand how it’s relevant to the story. Cooper was a little too judgemental and abrupt at times and that meant I didn’t necessarily root for their relationship, especially in the beginning..

However, that being said, I did enjoy reading the story overall and I hope that the next book continues to touch in on Cooper and Amity. I also loved the character of Bria, she is a strong, confident woman and I hope that she can have her own romance.

I love a good enemies to lovers romance & Crush in the Cascades by Lisa S. Gayle for sure had the right idea!

I don’t think I’ve ever read a concept quite like this where the main characters are forced to go through a survival type reality show wherein they must race the other contestants to win two million dollars. These characters are forced to go through one survival game after another with a couple trivial challenges mixed in.

The main characters Easton Cooper & Amity Rose are begrudgingly paired together in the first challenge & after assuming things about one another.. these two have a rocky start. As the game goes on and feelings arise for one another.. both Easton & Amity are faced to deal with the truth about their actual reasons for entering into this contest.

While I wasn’t a big fan of Easton and his horrid attitude towards Amity at multiple instances, it was for sure an entertaining read!

“Crush in the Crusades” is an enemies to lovers, fast paced, reality tv rom com set in the Oregon Mountains.

So many things….*spoilers ahead*
Was this book super predictable? Yes.
Was Easton, “Cooper”, an arrogant and judgmental jerk that I couldn’t see turning into the ruggedly sweet, star crossed lover at the end? Yes.
Was Amity utterly annoying me that she couldn’t just tell Easton the TRUTH about her life so the conflict wasn’t a conflict at all? Yes.
Were characters names inserted without the reader being introduced to them? Yes.
But did I love every minute of it?!? YES!!

From the scenery, to the epic adventure (that I hope actually turns in to a reality tv show), I was hooked and completely enthralled in this story. I read it in a day!

Some books you read and you want a surprise ending…and others you just want to see the story unfold into what you’ll know it’ll be, grab your drink or snuggle up in bed, and just sit back to be transported into the book…and I didn’t want to leave!

I absolutely loved it! 5/5

What an adventure! I don't care to watch reality TV, but I could read it through Gayle's writing any day. I stayed up way too late (early?) to finish the book because I had to know what the next challenge would be and/or who was going to get kicked off the show next.

I really liked Amity's character in the beginning. But I was peeved by the last few chapters. It's like she's waiting for Easton so say the magic words and then *POOF* all is forgiven. Easton, on the other hand, bugged me in the beginning (if I were to follow our author's alliteration, I'd call him a major masochist), but he grew on me.

One other thing I just have to mention--it's a small thing, but a BIG annoyance:
Some of the characters refer to other characters as "that [name] girl" or "that [name] guy." Why is that so weird and buggy to me?! I don't know. But I started marking each occurrence in the book, and it's frequent. And it's used by multiple characters (so it's not just a quirky phrase used by Amity). I mean, I might refer to the guy in the food truck as "The Taco Truck Guy" if I don't know his actual name. But I definitely don't refer to friends or acquaintances that way. Is it just me?!

I digress. What you really need to know is that Gayle has written an addicting action-packed enemies-to-lovers romance. If you pick it up, you won't put it down until it's finished!

{Heads up! Two spicy scenes.}

This seems to be the year of travel romances. With so many of us being on lockdown or the threat of lockdown looming, this is the perfect escape. In the age of reality TV this was refreshing. I really enjoyed our main characters and the grumpy/sunshine vibes. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. I love a good romcom and this definitely kept me wanting more. I was not a huge fan of the back and forth names for one character. I would have liked more if they just stuck with one name for him. -At least the same in the chapter.
If enjoy romcoms then add this book to your TBR!
Rating 3.5/5

Cooper thought he signed up for Survivor but got stuck on the Oregon Trail dating show from Hell instead.

Amity and Cooper are opposites! He's all ready for this big adventure and really needs to win the money and he sees her over there walking like a duck in the mud in stilletos. He can't deny she's attractive but he's got to keep his head in the game.

They didn't know exactly what they signed up for. If you watch much reality TV, you know they basically sign their lives away for a bit to be portrayed however the producers want and surprised however often they so choose.

They so chose to surprise them and merge a dating show and an active/outdoor competition show. As time goes on, Cooper softens and finds himself looking for Amity. Does he have crush in the Cascades?! Can they get Amity some decent shoes??

This was a cute, fun read overall. Cooper was a little judgy for my taste but I guess the enemies to lovers trope doesn't work without a little smack talk.

Thanks you NetGalley and the publisher! Interested in seeing more from this author for sure.

Perfect for romance lovers who are also obsessed with reality TV shows like The Challenge or Survivor. I really enjoyed the concept of the MCs going on a TV show and not knowing at all what it would be except for it being about wilderness. I liked the chemistry between Cooper and Amity and they really had that enemies to lovers instant chemistry that I feel like always shows up on The Challenge. Gotta have that camera ready drama!

I do feel like their communication skills were SORELY lacking and the ending buttoned it up a little too nicely but overall I really enjoyed and would read more books from this author!

Overall, this is a quick, entertaining romcom with a unique “action adventure game show” storyline. I liked the premise, but it fell a bit flat for me. I didn’t connect with the characters. They felt shallow and immature, and their constant flip flopping grew tiresome. This book wants to be enemies to lovers, but it’s definitely instalove. The switch is a blink and you’ll miss it kind of love, and while I was rooting for them, I didn’t ever feel their connection. Also, the miscommunication trope (my least favorite) plays a major role throughout this story, and much of the drama is manufactured. But I still found myself wanting to pick up the book and keep reading to see things play out.

Ok I am a sucker for reality tv and gameshows which drew me into this book. The author knocked it out of the park. It was a sweet and easy read centered around enemies to lovers whic is my fav trope. Will definitely be recommending

✨ ARC Review ✨
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Thank you to Netgalley and Lisa S. Gayle for the ARC to review.
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Y'all, this was such a cute and fun read. Crush in the Cascades was amazing. It had drama, romance, action, and opposites attract tropes. I loved the writing and the characters were amazing. Cooper was perfect and his chemistry with Amity was off the charts. Amity was fierce, strong, and smart. I loved her character and the way she did not let others take control of her story. The setting was perfect and I could easily see the backdrop of the story. Lisa S. Gayle had me smiling, laughing, and getting all the feels.
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Thank you to NetGalley and the BooksGoSocial for the eARC in exchange of my honest review.
This enemies-to-lovers & forced proximity themed book takes us behind the scenes of a reality show. What goes behind the scenes & how it goes. Although I felt like the book was dragged a bit, the writing was descriptive & good. The build-up of scenes & story were told nicely. In this book we have Easton Cooper as male protagonist who is a tour guide, gruff & tough. And Emity as female protagonist who is down to her luck, working in retail on commission but she is on the show for adventure.
I like Amity and her character growth, I can see author's reasoning of portraying her as spoiled princess while she is actual exact opposite. Easton Cooper on the other hand is just plain annoying.
I really liked the side character though. Bria was awesome, also, I would like to see her own book or her making an appearance In the next book in series. I also loved Easton's sister who is getting her own book as next in series!

The premise is cute- an Amazing Race
meets The Bachelor(ette) reality show, but it fell flat for me. The main characters are underdeveloped and are hard to like. Their emotions toward each other flip flop without rhyme or reason.

I was really excited to read the book based on the fact that it takes place in a reality TV show and I found that aspect really unique. The book takes place in a game show where our main characters, Easton and Amity meet. The fast paced book offers a lot of drama but unfortunately there is not much character development. While I am a sucker for a good rivals to lovers book, the main characters in this book went from hating each other to being in love way too fast. Easton is extremely misogynistic and his whole persona is very unappealing. I really enjoyed Amity's character and liked how she was the underdog in the book and kept proving everyone wrong, but I wish she could stand up for herself a bit more. Overall, If you want a fast paced, insta-love, rivals to lovers, this is your book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC! I wasn’t expecting this book to be as good as it was. It was very well written with good characterization for both our leads. As a fan of Survivor I was expecting even more underhanded tactics on the contestants' parts, but it was still fun! I did get a little annoyed at the way both Amity and Cooper ran hot and cold in such quick succession and I would never advise the way they both just sort of hope the other will pick up on their highly specific relationship cues without ever explaining themselves, but it certainly made for an enjoyable read. Would recommend!

The premise if this book was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the main male book never took the turn to likeable.. so it made the enemies to lovers troupe not very exciting. In the end I felt like he didn't deserve the girl!

I was looking forward to reading this book cause it sounded so good, but unfortunately i dnf-ed it. The main guy was so bad.. he was stereotyping and was very misogynistic.. i couldn't stand it

Overall, a quick, fun rom-com read. Amity and Easton meet on a new reality show and get off to an awful start. The setting is an Amazing Race type of reality show that pairs single men and women up as they navigate skills based and physical athletic challenges in the beautiful Oregon forest. It went from enemies to lovers extremely quickly as they navigated the challenges and tasks. I was expecting some more development of their path from enemies to lovers, and he was such a jerk at the start (and somewhat throughout with "this is girly" kind of thoughts). Some of their inner monologues fell into a romance pet peeve of mine - just say it out loud instead of making wild assumptions and you can save yourself so much unnecessary grief. I enjoyed their banter and it was a very easy read. One other thing that jumped out - when I saw quick enemies to lovers, I mean enemies to a relationship. In a handful of days. Along with mentions of "my boyfriend/girlfriend" and "my man/girl" and the related jealousy. Caught me off guard. This is the first in a series and seems like it will follow others in this world competing on the reality show and finding love along the way.

"The Bachelor" meets "Survivor" with a dash of "The Amazing Race." If you like (nay, love) those reality shows, you will likely enjoy this book.

I do NOT enjoy 2/3 of those shows and, therefore, did not enjoy "Crush in the Cascades" for very similar reasons- manipulted contestants, absurd tasks, and outright irresponsible treks, a host that thinks he's charming but is not, people deciding they're in love after a few days, and amoral, opportunistic villans.

If that's your jam, by all means, go forth and read.

I'll be honest and admit that some of the less than savoury reviews had me kind of turned off, but I ended up really enjoying 𝐂𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬🥰

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𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 : 🌟🌟🌟🌟
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 : 🔥🔥
𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 :
🏕️ steamy
🏕️ game show
🏕️ opposites attract
🏕️ he calls her princess
🏕️ misguided first impressions [aka brief rivals]
𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 : available on Kindle Unlimited :)

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before I talk about absolutely anything else, can we please discuss the fact that 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐚 𝐒 𝐆𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐞 flawlessly pulled off the premise for this book? an adventure x sports reality show where the winner gets a million dollars is a unique concept in itself, let alone as the backdrop for a contemporary romance😆

the attention to detail and thought that went into setting up the competition was insane, and I genuinely had so much fun exploring the tasks with the characters. very 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 - 𝐞𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞, but make it more lovey dovey with tropes that loosely resemble 𝐈𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 [city girl x mountain man, in this case😍]

another probably unintentional aspect of this book that I've come to appreciate is that neither protagonist got a flattering start. I started out pretty sceptical of 𝐀𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲'𝐬 whiny girl vibe, and even more annoyed at 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫'𝐬 judgements. it seemed to work well for me though, since it intensified my investment in their respective character arcs lol.

I love that 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐚 wrote in a female protagonist who owns her personality & has absolutely no problem being a girly girl. 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫'𝐬 sweet words as a boyfriend also have me in a chokehold🥺

while I would've enjoyed a more long drawn out separation, seeing as the protagonists didn't actually wholly discuss their breakup, 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫'𝐬 grovelling was on point, and the epilogue was even cuter. guess that forced proximity stuff really works, huh? because 𝐀𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐲 & 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 had a hella cute and swoony romance, and I would definitely recommend their story✨

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