Vinh Doan has a problem. Ten million of them, in fact. He’s a high-level fixer for global conglomerates, which means big money…and big troubles. When ten million dollars go missing from one of his accounts, he needs a top-notch hacker to find it. His first thought? Emily MacDonald, his high school ex.

While Vinh has been taking the financial world by storm, Emily has been struggling. After her dad died, she dropped out of college and put her dreams aside. Her job in tech support has seriously tested her sunny disposition and her finances. Now, there’s an unexpected solution: Vinh, the guy who dumped her when she needed him most.

When Emily finally lets herself listen to Vinh’s request, she realizes that this is a desperately needed chance to get paid…and get payback. But the more time they spend together, the more they recognize that even though they’re not the same people they were a decade ago, their off the charts attraction is just as strong as ever. As they give in to their simmering chemistry, can Emily and Vinh let go of their past, figure out their futures—and hack a second chance at love?

Initially I didn't really vibe with this book, the characters felt quite unlikeable and I wasn't quite hooked by the grudge. I'm not really the type to hold a grudge.

That being said, the characters grew on me, Vinh wasn't as cold as he initially was and proved to have a conscience and Emily was very hurt by the history there.

I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers, apparently even if that's lovers to enemies to lovers. The added history of the two was an appeal. This was a kinda sweet second chance romance.

I would really recommend this book particularly if you're a sucker for those tropes like I am.

Another book in the Ponto Beach series and I think it’s possibly my favourite one yet!

I’m a big fan of the second chance romance trope, so I think that’s why this book worked so well for me! Vinh and Emily’s relationship didn’t exactly end well the first time around we get both POVs which made it super interesting - no spoilers.

Personally I think the banter in this book is the best in the series, whereas the chemistry wasn’t jumping off the page me - it was there though!

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I did not realize that I have the first book in this series on my Kindle but have yet to read it but now I am excited to go back and do so. While there is a throughput from the first two books in the series, you do not need to know them to enjoy this. I had a feeling I knew who has screwed over Vinh in the book but that is not the point. Yes this book hits a lot of modern romance trope but again that is not the point. It was sweet and enjoyable and good to see Vinh and Emily grow as people and understand that their relationship may not have survived if they stayed together in college. I highly recommend this book because it was really well done. 4.5 stars.

I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

If you love a good second-chance romance, forced proximity and dual pov, pick this book up. This book was so soft and sweet and what I needed to read at the time.

Thank you to Netgalley for proving me with an arc of Ex Appeal by Cathy Yardley. I requested this arc not realising it was the third in a series, so I went back and read the first two and loved them! This one was just as good, I loved this series and I definitely recommend reading this if you enjoy romance. This was such a great mix of romance and actual plot and I loved seeing my favourite characters from the first two in Ex Appeal. 4⭐️

A Five-star read that has lots of appeal. This is number three in the Porto Beach series, you don’t have to have read the others before, as they don’t focus much on the other characters, but they do pop up as they are all part of the Nerd Herd. So, if you read them in order you do get to know everyone better, as we met Vinh and Emily in the previous stories as side characters, but its not so major that you miss anything. This is fun and watching Emily get what she deserves made this an amazing story, there were moments, that it did wander, but overall, it was brilliant. I especially loved Herman, he wasn’t as special to me as Vinh turned out, but he will have a special place in my heart.

Ex Appeal is an easy to read romance with interesting characters and a story that makes you want to know who dunnit. Emily and Vinh’s original break up caused a lot of pain for both of them. Emily was completely devastated by The way he broke up with her and her life circumstances since her father passed away. When they meet again, both of them are struggling, but for different reasons. Both of them grew through this book and it was lovely to see how both of them became better people for their struggles together. There are many things to like about this book, the friend group, the forgiveness between Emily and Vinh, and the menagerie of animals Vinh has to take care of. The story is satisfying with the exception of not knowing the motivation behind one person’s motives. I wish we had more information about why everything got rolling in the first place. But honestly, that’s my only complaint.

I’ve read several books in the third person over the last few weeks and most of them felt awkward to me. I’ve gotten so used to reading books in the first person that these books just seems wrong. This author wrote in such a way that reading a book in the third person was not awkward and I was able to lose myself in the story.

I am grateful for NetGalley and the publisher who allowed me to read a copy of the ARC in exchange for a review.

Emily and Vinh have a romantic history and are pushed together in a current work related drama for Vinh. Whilst these characters clearly do have feelings for each other and their past is keeping them apart I couldn't really feel why it was such an issue in their present day. It felt like a big reason why they split in college, understandable and right thing etc but then once the reunion took place and opportunity presented itself it really should have been a non-issue.
The book was a solid romance story and definitely worth a read I jsut wanted something stronger that had kept them apart and had turned them from lovers - enemies I guess

When ten million dollars disappears from one of his largest client’s accounts, Vinh Doan knows there’s only one hacker who can help him track it down. Emily MacDonald is ready to put her past with Vinh behind her to help him save his job and reputation. The large paycheck he’s offering doesn’t hurt either. One ex wants to keep things professional and the other wants a second chance.

Ex Appeal is the third book in Cathy Yardley’s Ponto Beach Reunion series. This book can be read as a stand-alone but there are some characters that carry over from the other two books. This is an open-door, second chance romance with just the right mix of sweet and spicy.

This is by far my favorite book of the series. I was pulled in as soon as I read the synopsis and was not disappointed. While Vinh and Emily may seem like opposites in the beginning, their similarities start to show through from the very beginning of the book. Both are hard workers trying to make better lives for themselves after difficult childhoods. Opinions of family members still weigh heavily on them and shape many of their decisions even as adults. I liked “watching” their growth together and independently throughout the storyline.

I have read several of Cathy Yardley’s books in the past and really enjoy her style. I also appreciate the range of representation in her work. I look forward to seeing where she takes this series next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake!

As a fan of this series I've been curious if Tam's twin brother, Vihn, was as cold and calculating as he's been portrayed in the previous books.

Vihn and fellow Nerd Herd member, Emily have been friends since elementary school and eventually became high school sweethearts.
If you've read book 1 and 2, you know Vihn lives in NY and has disconnected from Ponto Beach, his twin and the Nerd Herd.

I loved that this book was dark like Vihn and not as light as the other books.

Emily is a fixer and a pleaser, and until her father died, pretty spoiled. She and Vihn both went to NY to school but she had to leave after 1st year of college after her father died. At that point her and Vihn broke up and she was heart broken and devastated.
Fast forward and her life is far from a fairy tale when he goes back to Ponto Beach in need of her hacking skills.

Loved this storyline and second chance at love but also a matured and guarded Emily and Vihn.

Sometimes great love needs a second chance to get it right.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there's more to this series because I kinda love the Nerd Herd!!

This book has: a second chance romance, forced proximity, and dual povs!

I love a good second chance romance so when I saw a book about estranged exes, I had to request it! Emily and Vinh are former high school sweethearts who had a bitter breakup in college that resulted in both of them avoiding one another for a decade, despite being part of the same friend group. When Vinh is framed for potentially stealing millions at his high profile fixer job, he needs a hacker to help clear his name. Unfortunately for Vinh, the only hacker he knows is Emily, who wants nothing to do with him.

The chemistry between Emily and Vinh was amazing. They had the whole enemies to lovers vibe going on because of their bad breakup and I ate it up!!! Despite the decade spent apart, it was clear that they never stopped loving each other and just needed a push to get back together. Both Emily and Vinh had to grow separately before they could come back together and it was nice to see them put the work in to discover what they really wanted from their careers and family.

This book was soft, sweet, and had the perfect amount of tension and pining. If you’re looking for a light read with tons of character growth and amazing side characters, this is the book for you!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

A witty second chance romance that was a fast and entertaining read. The premise lured me in and overall it was a fun read.

I have a tendency to request arcs on Netgalley which have cute covers. But that has led to mostly disappointing reads. Not with Ex Appeal though. I was left pleasantly surprised when I read this. I liked it from the premise itself. Another thing that added to my enjoyment was the fact that it was dual POV. I'm a sucker for romance novels that give us dual perspectives because that gives us a chance to see things from both sides. Vinh and Emily made for an adorable couple and the fact that it was a second-chance romance made me adore them even more. You could clearly see that they had feelings for each other. Their chemistry was intense and their spicy scenes were written so well.

All in all, I really enjoyed <i> Ex Appeal </i> and I'm definitely gonna be checking out Yardley's other works!

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I liked the premises of this second chance romance. Both protagonist are workaholics trying to move on from their painful breakup. Unfortunately I wasn't crazy about how Emily handles her reunion with the hero. I understand that she's angry about the way he broke up with her but she really holds on that hate and she appears bitter and mean. He just deals with her constant mood changes just so he can be around her. Other than that, the story was overall entertaining.

Since high school Vinh Doan has been taking the financial world by storm in NYC, meanwhile his ex Emily MacDonald has been struggling. She works in tech support after having dropped out of college to support her mother and brother. Vinh's amazing life however, is now balancing on the edge after $10million goes missing from a client account at work. He needs an amazing hacker and pronto to figure out where the money has gone in the world of blockchain and crypto currency. Emily is the perfect person for the job... only issue is she hates him.

This is the third book in Ponto Beach Reunion series by Cathy Yardley however, reads perfectly well as a stand alone. I fell in love with every character and found myself chuckling at the barbs Vinh and Emily threw back and forth at times. The romance is pretty central to the story, but the best part is the richness of each character's life struggles and how they fight to overcome them. The author covers some pretty heavy topics (death of parent, financial struggles, blackmail, loss of dreams) in a way that has you flipping through the pages desperate to see how the characters get out of there moments of despair. The financial world set up was unique - really enjoyed seeing blockchain, crypto and hacking being used as a storyline.

Can't wait to read more books in the series since everybody in the "Nerd Heard" is amazing.

A free copy of this ebook was provided to me by netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a cute, geeky second chance romance that, while not world-shattering, was definitely entertaining. The two main characters, Emily and Vinh, were well written (although not always likeable) and engaging. I found out when I went to review this book on Goodreads that this was the third book in a series. I did not feel like I was missing out on any previous information that I needed to have in order to enjoy this book, but I am curious on how it ties into the last two. All in all, I thought this was a fun read that is perfect for a long car ride, a beach or an airplane. It isn't overly dense and the romance is well written and adorable.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC!

I'm not usually a big fan of second chance romance but this book did make me rethink that opinion.
Vinh and Emily were both amazing people on their own and they just somehow made sense together. I loved the premise of the story and all the friendships that developed over the course of the book were great too. It was really interesting getting an insight into their relationship when they were in highschool and seeing the growth was amazing. I'm always a fan of character growth!
The book, overall was very good. Well-written with great characters and good chemistry between the characters. I'd definitely recommend it to friends and I have a feeling this book will be a hit with the public!

Oh second chance romance is my jam. Vinh and Emily are both adorable and deserving of a HEA. And boy do they get one. I have loved this series and each book has gotten better and better. I just cannot wait to read more.