Stars: 4/5
Spice: 2/5

I absolutely loved this quick read that followed along the story of Liv and Ben. From the past to current family drama and trams Melanie Munton keeps you guessing. Coming from a small town I understand **maybe too well** how crazy and gossip driven that life can be. I loved how Liv and Ben fought through the drama. I was a bit sad that they felt the need to go back to their hometown to prove people wrong even with other intentions. The strength Liv gives off towards other is inspiring and makes Ben fall even harder. I recommend a read if you want a quick, beach vibes, small town romance read! If I had a Ben to go back to maybe I would actually want to move back to my hometown!

This book combines some of my most favorite tropes; forced proximity, small town romance and enemies-to-lovers! Follow the beautiful, spit-fire, Olivia, and the tatted, ex-marine turned sheriff, Seth, as they find their way from hating to dating. Also, this rom-com brings the spice factor🌶🌶🌶!

I can’t decide if i liked this book or didn’t. I felt bored and uninterested the first 40-50% of the book, I felt that the “enemies” portion was somewhat cringy and immature.

Once Ben and Olivia went through the escape room together the story picked up for me and i enjoyed watching their characters and love grow and develop.

The spice was well done and i liked that Olivia’s Dad was indeed brought back into the picture. I would have loved to see more of their relationship in the epilogue rather than just the short paragraph about dinners.

I think the first 40% took too long, and there was a lot of fluff that was unnecessary.

I don’t think this book is bad by any means, just wasn’t my favorite! 🙂

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for an honest review!

First of all, thank you so much NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for this ARC of the second installation in the Shell Grove series!
4.5/5 stars! If you like:
– Small Town romances
– Enemies (Nemesis) to lovers
– Beach reads
– Dual P.O.Vs
– Spice, lots of spice!
Then this book is for you!
I truly enjoyed this book! It's great to get back into the Shell Grove community and this is yet another great story of Melanie's. The characters are very lovable as well as the story plot.
Ben and Olivia has known each other since school and has been "hating" each other for 12 years, but when Ben suddenly returns to Shell Grove, they discover feelings, that may even be different from hatred. This book is light-hearted and filled with humour, romance and spicy smut scenes with lots of details! I loved how Olivia and Ben got to talk about their past and all the family drama that occured between the two families!
This book is about forgiving and new discoveries of love! Definitely a recommendations to those who love beach reads and summer stories in small towns!

Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis is releasing October 4th! So be ready!

First off, a big old thank you to NetGalley and Melanie Munton for my ARC of Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis. I cut it kind of close finishing this book with its release date being tomorrow, but oh my god, now you know that you HAVE to read this book AS SOON as it drops!!

Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis is your classic enemies to lovers book. Ben Crawford and Olivia Knight are the opposite of high school sweethearts. They are more like high school mortal enemies, with an unconventional connection. Now, both adults, Ben is the new sheriff in town and Olivia can't keep her mind off of him. Because of all the ways she's thinking about murdering him...
because she hates him that much, right? When they decide to redirect their hatred and frustration for each other in... other methods, will they be able to keep it strictly enemies with benefits? Though it may seem simple, they still have their troublesome past and a secret one is keeping from the other. Will they be able to keep this simple agreement with each other or will they figure out the Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis?

I'm not a romcom reader, let alone a smut reader. If you look at my past reviews and read books, you will see that I gravitate towards thriller/suspense novels. I do read the occasional romcom because come on, I need some sort of refresher from the heavy stuff I read, lol. For some reason, Melanie Munton's Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis called out to me when I saw it on NetGalley, and I just had to read it. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. Holy freaking smut- this book is actually incredible. The tension I read, the frustration I read, the details I read. Wow. Melanie Munton, you are talented. I laughed, I blushed, I even teared up whilst reading this book. You made me feel a whirlwind of emotions that melted my cold dead heart.

If you're thinking, well this isn't really my genre, it's probably not. Heck, there were some parts of this book that I wasn't enjoying because I found it a little too cringey. However, I did have to read a lot with a grain of salt given this book isn't what I normally read. Given those circumstances I had to give this book a 5. Like I've said multiple times, this isn't what I read, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. Plus, the playlist alone makes this book deserving of 5 stars.

Melanie Munton, congratulations on writing a great book.

I quite enjoyed this book. It was sweet, full of chemistry, light-hearted and steamy. Ben & Olivia's banters always kept me entertained. Olivia & Ben were highschool nemesis. A scarring incident that happened because his mom and her dad got together made them hurt each other by throwing jabs in school and they went their separate ways. But now Ben is back in Shell Grove and the moment he meets Olivia, I could feel the chemistry between them. Will it be possible for them to get past their history and have their own HEA? Or will the secret that Ben is keeping make Olivia misunderstand things and they will lose their chance to be together this time? You have to read this steamy enemies to lovers rom-com to find out!

I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers and small town romance. And then I knew with the first sentence, I was going to love it. And I did.

Olivia and Ben’s banter was probably my favorite parts. Ben was such a swoon worthy character and Olivia is so quick witted and funny.

This book was such a quick fun read and I’ll probably re-read it again soon. Definitely a 5 star and I’ll be looking out for more by Melanie Munton!

Read if you like:
- enemies to lovers 🖤
- Small town romance 🏘
- Family drama👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
- Slow burn❤️‍🔥
- spice 🌶


Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for sending this ARC for an honest review.

This book was complicated for me. I really enjoyed each of the characters on their own, and even together. The chemistry was believable and it was easy to root for both Ben and Olivia throughout the story. What I didn't like, and found distracting, was the writing style and some of the dialogue. Despite being a very steamy romance, the writing felt juvenile and comical in not the most enjoyable way. Saying, "frick" when "f*ck" was already used to often felt weird. Having Olivia's dialogue as "Does he really want me to ride that pony" was hard to get through. You have a mature woman, sexually fanaticizing about a grown man and her thinking that to herself just didn't fit. I can't imagine a woman actually thinking that rather than just, "Does he really want to f*ck me". The premise was so mature but the writing style didn't match and that's just something I couldn't get past. I believe Melanie Munton was trying to make the writing comical, but it didn't land for me unfortunately.

- Enemies to lovers
- Small town romance
- Family drama
- Book 2 of series

Bullet plot line: Olivia and Ben grew up in the small town of Shell Grove hating each other. In high school her father had an affair with his mother causing even more drama between them. They both left Shell Grove only to come back as a adults. She wants to run the family B and B and he is the new Sheriff. All their hate continues to grow along with new more physical feelings. But can their physical attraction overcome their past?

Honest opinion: This book is exactly what I thought it would be, nothing more and nothing less. Loved the enemies to lovers troupe, but it felt a little forced at certain points in the book. The steam and attraction was there for sure! Thought FMC and MMC were both fine, didn’t really relate to either but still enjoyed them. Banter was not cringey but could have been used to help strengthen their chemistry more. This book gave me Sweet Home Alabama vibes for sure!

3.5⭐️

Oliva and Ben have a complicated, enemies-to-lovers romance going for them in this sexy contemporary romance. It had everything I want out of a romance novel -- witty banter, spicy scenes, and a little plot to get you through the day.

There were a few things that threw me off, like the pacing (they were dating for 4 weeks and we saw very of it?!). The author decided to glaze over certain parts of their budding relationship in favor of other plot points when I feel we, the reader, could have done with more small, sweet moments between them as they learn more about who they are now as adults (without the spice). I wouldn't have minded a longer book in favor of those innocent moments. The ending fell flat. Suspension of disbelief is always a given in fiction, but Liv showing up at the police station in the middle of the night after Ben to "make sure he was alright" and just happened to overhear everything felt *too* convenient.

Overall, it was a fun read. I'll read the other books in the series still and would recommend this book for a quick summer read. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Olivia's nemesis from high school, Ben, returns to their small hometown to become the new sheriff. They have mutual friends in common, they were victims of ridicule and attention due to a familial affair, and find themselves continually bumping into each other. They will find out a lot of things have changed in 12 years, but they can't out run their tangled pasts.

I love a good enemies to lovers story because they have such good banter and this one did not let me down. Some of their exchanges made me laugh, while others left me completely stunned. I unfortunately did not read the first book of the series and this is my first book from this author. The deceptive, cute cartoon book cover strikes again - this had a bunch of spicy scenes and Olivia and Ben's chemistry or tension was palpable.

Would highly recommend this book and I am going to get the first story from this series from this author.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Small Town Romance/ Close proximity
- Intermingled Family Drama
- Hot Sheriff

Thanks to the author, net galley, and anybody who had a hand in letting me read this ARC. I loved it!

This is the first book that I've read by Melanie Munton, and I really enjoyed it. I loved learning about the backstory between the two main characters, Olivia and Ben. They have hated each other since high school, but will things change when they see each other for the first time in 12 years?

This book follows an enemies to something more format, and I love those type of stories! I really loved the dynamic between Ben and Olivia. They both felt more for each other, but they had to fight against it. Their shared past brought a lot of baggage that they each had to work through.

I enjoyed the setting of the story too because it took place in a small beach town. Olivia runs her aunt's b and b and Ben is the new sheriff in town. This story had a lot of romance, passion and fun!


Thanks to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for access to the ARC of this book.

Loved, loved, loved this book! I cannot express that enough. I was so captivated that I would glance up and see hours had gone by while reading. I did not want it to end!

“Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis” is book two in the Shell Grove companion series. I had not read the first book in the series prior to finishing this one and it did not negatively effect my enjoyment during reading. This can definitely be read as a stand alone (however, I am 100% going to read the next book in the series. You get to see a lot of the side/core character of the companion series and you will love every one of them. As soon as their books come out, I will pick them up).

- This book had one of my favorite beginnings ever. It completely hooked me in. It started with comedy, tension, and plot IMMEDIATELY which is a testament to the whole book. Beautifully blended throughout.
- My head was thrown back in laughter so many times that it is now starting to hurt.
- The should be a master-class in how to write tension and romance because I cannot find any room for improvement.
- One of my favorite writing styles I’ve seen. Melanie Munton is immediately going on my “Favorite Authors” list
- The whole story was so beautifully planned out. Nothing felt like a side plot, it all felt like one story (because it was) which is, again, a testament to how carefully planned and well-executed every page was.
- The emotions were SO real. I felt with them (Ben and Olivia) for each moment of doubt and sadness. It was just so realistic that it was impossible to get annoyed with them if any conflict happened because their reactions were just so organic

I could go on an on about how much I loved this story. I have so many quotes that I loved in my notes.
10/10 story
10/10 characters
10/10 writing
10/10 romance
I think that about sums it up.

Thank you so much NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for allowing me an ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Our main characters have known each other their whole lives, grew up in a small town and went through the same hardships with their parents. While this may seem they should have stuck together, they swore they hated each other through everything. Ben moved away, now he’s back as the new sheriff in town. As for Olivia, she is a massage therapist and helps run the B&B in town. When he arrived back, he didn’t realize she would be the first person he interacts with as he gets a massage.

From the first few pages, I could tell that this wasn’t quite going to be for me. The author almost glorifies the main character, Ben, because he is now a cop. This never sits right with me for many reasons. I tried to put those immediate feelings aside, because the book deserved a fair chance.

Slight spoilers ahead:

Their relationship as we first see it, is just shown as childish to me. He’s pretty much a pervert, with a jerkiness to him; while she is holding on to what has happened in her past, but does have a small want for him.

Throughout the book he gets boners at the weirdest times. I don’t know if the author meant for this to be hot? Maybe make him desirable? Find it endearing? Well, it didn’t quite work for me. I kept picturing a 15 year old boy, not a grown man.

The dynamic didn’t work well, but I had some parts I really enjoyed. We have a scene that is in an escape room, that their friends get them to join in on. We finally see them start bouncing off each other well. It was fun and not dragged out.

As time goes on and he shows he can be kind sometimes, she thanks him. At first he doesn’t think this is right, because everyone should be a decent human. I was like hell yeah! I can get behind that. Then just the next paragraph comes and he expresses his thoughts of, ‘of course he wouldn’t do anything bad to her, he’s a cop.’ *insert major eye roll.*

When we reach their first sexual encounter, he was such a douche afterwards. He tried to redeem himself to the readers, by sticking up for her when we see him interact with his deadbeat father. Olivia and him see each other again, and he reacts that it’s not a good time because he may fly off the handle. GROW UP.

The only relatable part for me, was when we see Olivia visit her father for the first time in years. She describes it as if they are just acquaintances or old strangers. This has been my life, and I finally connected to something in this book. Sadly, this was towards the end.

All in all, the humor that was used wasn’t for me and I found the characters unlikable. Ben just hit me in all the wrong ways, while Olivia was okay at parts but I just didn’t care enough for their relationship.

Thanks again to NetGalley, for this opportunity.

TW: Alcoholism, Cheating, emotional abuse, hard upbringing

3.5 ⭐️

Tropes:
- enemies to lovers
- small town romance
- hate to love

I’m a sucker for E2L and while Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis was a bit cliche and corny at times, I loved it. Also the banter between Olivia and Ben was 👌🏻 and probably my most favorite part of the book lol

This story was a little corny for my taste but there is definitely something about the Shell Grove setting that drew me in. The B&B, the small town, the beach town, the close knit friend group … it all worked. The chemistry between Ben and Olivia was immediate and I love a good sex scene, but if I’m honest I did find the way Ben’s domineering side was portrayed was not my cup of tea. I plan to check out another story in this series next. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

reasons why not to date your nemesis

If I reconnected with my nemesis in the way that Olivia did with Ben, you would never hear from me again.

I’m a sucker for witty female characters so the minute Olivia was introduced, I fell in love with her.

I don’t know what it is about enemies to lovers that I can’t seem to shake. There’s just something about falling in love with someone that you used to want to put their hand into a blender.

<b>As if she were the only thing standing between him and mental destruction.
She was his asylum.”</b>

If anyone <i>ever</i> said this about me I would marry them on the spot, I’m not even kidding.

The actions of the main protagonists of the story were heavily influenced by the past trauma of what happened all those years ago. I loved that both Olivia and Ben’s main arc of their characters was their desire to break out of their old patterns or pasts.

I would’ve rated this story higher but I couldn’t due to me wanting the resolve of the issues that had been the main part of the story to be dragged out a bit further. I love angst and I just would’ve enjoyed if it had carried on for a few more chapters than it was.

Overall, this story was enjoyable and I’m excited to see what comes next in the Shell Grove series.

<i>Thank you to Melanie Munton for providing me this arc!</i>
<i>I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.</i>

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

I have to tell ya, I used to be one of those readers that would ONLY read thrillers/horror but I made the leap into new found territory and I am LOVING on these RomCom's.

Now, we all know I have this off the wall, quirky sense of humor so when a book gets me laughing early on, I know I am in for a treat. As I stated above, I am just starting to get into RomCom's so Melanie Munton, is a "new to me author". As soon as I concluded Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis, I instantly ran (scrolled) on over to Amazon to see her previous publications and found out that this is actually the second book in a series (Shell Grove series) ! Well, as we know I just read book two without having read book one and still absolutely loved it! Reasons Why Note to Date Your Nemesis, can absolutely be read as a standalone but if you are anything like me, you will want to read Reasons Why Not to Date Your Enemy CEO first . Also, while I was hanging around the pages of Amazon I saw that book three is set to publish this coming June!!

Okay, back to the actual book itself....

Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis, is jam packed with fun loving quirky characters that you will instantly fall in love with. The dynamic between Olivia and Ben was playful, humorous and down right adorable. Even the banter had me giggling. Early on I could tell these two would end up falling for each other but its still fun to read along with their journey.

Now, don't get me wrong, I would definitely categorize this book as a RomCom but it was also so much more than that. There was elements of drama, secrets exposed, friendship and of course, romance.

Reasons Why Not to Date Your Nemesis, is easily a 5 star read and I believe a wide demographic of readers will agree. I just started reading Reasons Why Not to Date Your Enemy CEO and I can already tell that I am becoming a huge fan of Melanie Munton !

This book was one of my favorites this year. The characters have so much passion behind their hatred that you can’t help but root for them. All during high school Olivia always hated how Ben picked on her. They would always have a fight if they crossed paths. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think he would return to their small town after he left at the age of 18. He returned and is now the sheriff. Sparks instantly fly and they start to see how all of those arguments were the beginning of their feelings for each other. When they start to accept how they feel and date things from their past could destroy everything they have built together. Will they be able to survive it and the tropical storm that hits their small town? I was given an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.