This was a perfect summer read sitting out in the sun! I loved this Little gem of a book and will be reading more by LJShen.
I just reviewed Fallen Foe by L.J. Shen. #FallenFoe #NetGalley
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*thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

oh my God I devoured this.It's been a long time since I read a book that I couldn't have put down.I didnt want it to end.I waited for this book for a year now and it did not disappoint. not one bit. Absolutely brilliant. 10 stars

This story centers around Arsene, a character first introduced in Ruthless Rival. Although the story had a predictable ending, the twists and turns to get there were outstanding.

Gosh, I haven't read an L.J. Shen book in a really long time.
If memory doesn't play tricks on me, the last novel was Angry God (excluding My dark Romeo written with Parkington), and in the meantime a lot of water has passed under the bridge. A lot of water.
I say this because, Fallen Foe concluded, I wonder what happened to Shen.

Arsène is a self-centered, moneyed asshole. He meets Winnifred, a novice actress who knows secrets about the protagonist's late girlfriend.
They hate each other, but then they fall in love.
How is this different from the previously published novels? Nothing.
They all follow the same modus operandi by now.

For goodness sake, it is well written, it is fluent, in fact I devoured it. But the story, as well as the characters, did not convey anything to me.
True, romances all look a bit alike, but Shen had a unique touch that made me fall hopelessly in love with her stories and protagonists.
Probably the spell I was under has ended.
Of course, I'm speaking for myself.

By the way, I am also sorry to give a low rating, but we are here to give our honest opinion.

I was originally drawn to this ARC as I’ve heard great things about L.J. Shen’s books and I was excited to finally pick one up!

Upon the first part of the novel, about a third, maybe less, I was a little disappointed with the MMC, who was seemingly very similar to someone with no emotions. His most noticeable quality is his obsession with his ex-step sister and lover. This relationship continues to develop in a spiral of hate for a while that bored me.

During this time, Arsène meets Winnie. Now, not to spoil anything, but Winnie gives the impression that she doesn’t truly belong in New York. She is meant to be a very likable character, but I often found her to be too much to handle.

I disliked that from one moment to the next, Arsène would go from being an emotionless robot to a suddenly romantic, poetry-reciting man.

Also, most of Winnie’s personal revelations take place BECAUSE of Arsène. I know it’s a romance, but please… No woman needs a man to heal her soul.

Regardless, the book was an easy read and was intriguing. I did enjoy the fact that every character in the book has either a background story or several aspects to their personalities which make them engaging and interesting.

2.5 ⭐️

✨ Rating: 3 ⭐️
🌶️ Spice: 2
Tropes: Enemies to lovers, slow-burn, hero obsessed with heroine

This book took me twice as long to finish than any other book I’ve read recently. Why? Because half of the time I wanted to DNF. I have to say I was very excited about this book, considering that I loved ‘Ruthless Rival’. It was one of my favorite books of 2022. So, when I saw Arsène and Riggs were getting their own books I instantly added them to my TBR.

The first part of this book is what I disliked the most. I feel like it dragged on way too much. Arsène and Grace’s relationship was much more than toxic. That relationship was terrible and after finishing the book I feel like I still don’t have a clear answer as of to why Grace kept coming back to Arsène. Also, the fact that they spent so many years in an on and off relationship and apparently their families didn’t know seemed a little far-fetched to me but let’s believe it could’ve happened.

After I got through that first part, I was able to get through the book faster. It picked up its pace and it was more enjoyable. Winnie and Arsène were a good pair. Winnie being so polite, selfless and lovable rubbed a little on Arsène making him more likable. And Arsène’s selfishness rubbed off on Winnie helping her build the backbone needed to get out of the rut she was in. I’ll be honest, there were moments when I started disliking Winnie. After she learned about her husband’s betrayal, she just kept making excuses for him. And I get that everyone grieves differently, but it kept happening and it bothered me.

Now the writing, towards the end of the book, when Winnie returned to Tennessee, I felt like the author kept explaining things and making things longer as if she had to comply with a word limit. You know how it feels when you’re writing an essay and you must comply with a word limit, so you start adding nonsense, that’s how it felt. How Winnie kept explaining that she went home, her mother and dad hugged her, she felt happy, the town stopped by to greet her, and other stuff that to me was unnecessary.

I truly hope that the next book closes the series with a bang. I’ll be reading it because I do want to learn more about Riggs but this one definitely left me with a bit of a sour taste.

Spent the whole thing smiling. I think Arsene is a firm fixture on my book boyfriend list.

Why am I not rating a full five stars when I clearly loved it!?. I thought the Grace obsession was a bit underdeveloped. I just couldn't understand how Arsene came to being that obsessed and put himself through it. I don't know. It's something I can't put my finger on. Something just felt off about the why.

But I loved Winnie. Loved Arsene. Their banter was *chef kiss*, and the natural development of their relationship was * double chef kiss*.

I liked it, but wanted more.

Winnie is a warm, sunshine and loveable girl while Ars is the epitome of grumpy, horrid a**hole (redeemable though) and they meet under tragic circumstances. While trying to muddle their way through the lies and betrayals from the people previously in their lives, feelings evolve and truths come out.

I did like that they got their HEA but I was left feeling confused I guess as to how the couple fell in love. I just…didn’t see it. I think the story focused a little too much on their previous relationships so we’re missing a good deal of the growth and development that we should have seen between the couple.

Overall though I did enjoy this one and I think LJ fans will be satisfied.

Let’s be clear— I absolutely hated Grace with a passion.

Now that we got that out of the way.. ugh, good ole asshole Arsène. I know so many people are over that whole jerk, billionaire thing. But, after knowing about our troubled H’s traumatic past, I had a soft spot for him. Winnie frustrated me. It definitely took her way too long to move on from the dead cheating husband. And I ONLY say that because the dude was literal scum. But she was a fireball and really grew into herself and her potential. After reading Ruthless Rivals, I was missing this world and these characters. It was great to move onto Arsènes story and I can’t wait to read Riggs’ next!

Thank you to Montlake Publishing, author LJ Shen and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I guess it’s a good thing I wasn’t stuck on the step siblings description or on Arsene with Gracie. I will say that I don’t know why it’s a big deal because honesty Gracie was a horrible person! Now Arsene isn’t a saint but when we do get to know more about him you truly understand that he’s more than what he puts out into the world!

The one thing I wish was different was Arsene and Winnie coming together! I can see how their friendship started. Or I should say their tolerance of each other. What I feel needed more fleshing out is him falling. I feel less time at the start of the story (because seriously Gracie is horrible) and more time of Winnie and Arsene would have made this story perfect!!

I really liked Winnie and loved her coming into herself! She was a sweet soul with a heart of gold and I’m happy the big bad Arsene saw through his BS and finally opened his eyes!

It was definitely worth the read but I definitely enjoyed the first book in the series better…now I can’t wait for the next one!!! LJ NEVER disappoints!!

This is one of the strangest stories I've read and kudos to the writing, because it's not something I'd usually pick up.

The story follows the path for two people in their own versions of unhappy relationships clashing in a horrible way. Winnie is the epitome of a girl next door, while Arsène is the jaded rich guy. Each have their own difficult pasts that lead them to make some questionable choices for the wrong reasons, and I while I cannot say I completely understand those reasons, it's clear that the story is ultimately about imperfect people. Though I wasn't rooting for the characters in the beginning, I was still somehow hooked on the story and made me curious to see things through!

Possible triggers: to be noted that the plot contains possibly incestous relationship (Arsène is dating his non-blood related step sister), which may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read the first book in this series and thought this would be great but it unfortunately was not. I tried really hard to like Arsène but he mostly came off as a very unlikable character. And there was really no depth and romance development between him and Winnie. And the romance between the step sister was a big no no for me. And the sad part is that took up a big chunk of the story. Overall this book lacked too many things and made it extremely difficult to continue/finish. Hopefully the next one will be better.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

Really not worth the read. Ruthless Rival was actually the first arc I read through NetGalley, so I was excited to continue the series with Fallen Foe. The second installment in what I assume will be a trilogy is quite the letdown. The description does not call out that Arsène is intimate with his stepsister (Gracelynn) and has a very toxic relationship with her. I honestly wouldn’t have picked up this book if I knew that we would have to read about that relationship for the first 30% of the book because it wasn’t what I signed up for.

I also like the “bad boys” as romantic interests only if they have redeeming qualities. Arsène has absolutely no redeeming qualities, he’s just a rich jerk. Winnie deserves so much better. I also do not get any chemistry between the two.

Very underwhelming story, with such an unlikeable main character. Rhys sounds interesting so may read his book but it’s not going to be high on my list. Do not recommend.

"Fallen Foe" by LJ Shen is a captivating romance novel that will keep readers hooked until the very end. The story follows Arsene Corbin, a billionaire who has a troubled past, and Winnifred, an aspiring actress who initially clashes with Arsene at a gala. As the two continue to cross paths, they both struggle with their growing feelings for each other, leading to a satisfying and heartwarming conclusion.
The author’s writing style is engaging and keeps the plot moving forward with well-timed twists and turns. The characters are well-developed and complex, particularly Arsene, who is a refreshing anti-hero. Despite his flaws, I found myself rooting for him to find happiness with Winnifred.
One of the strengths of this novel is the chemistry between the two main characters. Their banter and interactions are both entertaining and believable. The happy ending is satisfying and left me looking forward to the next book in the series.
Overall, "Fallen Foe" is a must-read for fans of romance novels.

An ok read. The hero is very damaged and is in a toxic relationship with his step sister. He finds love and redemption with the heroine

No one's more surprised than me that I actually enjoyed this book.

TMI but I'm PMSing right now so nearly everything spoke against me liking this book. It needs to be really good to fit my moody self and apparently this one did it? Not to forget the fact that I'm currently going through a huge reading slump and DNF books left and right. Gotta give credit, where credit is due. At least in my case.

Note though that I hated the first 30%. Arsène and Grace? I have no words for this seriously messed up relationship. It was an absolute pain to read. I've seen some reviews rooting for the step-sibling romance, perhaps it has been hinted at in the first book or by the author personally? Good thing I knew nothing about this series though cause I'm really, really glad that this, i.e. the step-sibling romance didn't work out. I would have never been able to get through it otherwise.

Other than that, the book had some cute moments which, for whatever reason, I did not expect. I found myself super invested in Arsène and Winnie's story – which is pretty rare nowadays – and enjoyed their banter a lot.


**ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Fallen Foe has yet another real anti hero from this author. Arsene Corbin a billionaire had a loveless hard upbringing with his father and stepmother and her daughter despite his father’s wealth, he intends not to marry for love but for spite.
Meeting Winnifred an aspiring actress and her husband at a gala he finds her to be nothing but a hillbilly and calls her a bumpkin, she in turn surprises him by giving him just as strong back chat.
When Arsene’s fiancée is killed in an accident all manner of things are revealed linking him to Winnifred. They continue to knock heads together for over a year slowly both realising they have feelings for each other though Arsene tries to deny his feelings unsuccessfully.
The happy ending comes right at the last minute of the book but it’s a good one. Hopefully we’ll hear more of their future in the next book which will be Rigg’s story.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.

I will give this 3.5 stars
While I enjoyed aspects of the book this was not my favorite by L.J. Shen . I feel like at this time it didn’t hit the mark for me like they usually do. I loved the first book. I look forward to the next. I feel like out of the books I have read so far by L..J. That I will probably forget this one.

The back story of this enemies to lovers story truly brings out the feelings and draws you in to this genuine love story. Loved the antics and banter. A stupendous read!!