dnf @ 30%

I had a lot of expectations for this book, but in the first few chapters I was very confused by some lack of information, and as I read it, I just couldn't connect with the characters.

This cover is absolutely stunning. I enjoyed this sort of enemies to friends to lovers story. It had me hooked from the very beginning. I enjoyed the characters and felt like we got to know them very well.

Frustrated not quite enemies become friends and then lovers in this romance set largely in an Edinburgh animal park, Jess sees her assignment to work an event there as a comedown after she backed away from work a bit to care for her brother, Nick finds her annoying. Eventually they meet in the middle. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is trope-y to be sure but it's also a good read about family and commitment.

Read this all in one go so it definitely hooked me. I really enjoyed reading about this cast of characters, Nick and Jess's relationship felt really well paced and authentic. It did a good job of balancing the heavy life events going on with a fluffy romance. I did find the conflict a bit far-fetched, didn't quite feel true to life. But overall an enjoyable enemies-to-lovers story.

When I read that this book is set in a Wildlife Park I couldn't let it get away. I have a soft spot for animals so… Good story, well developed despite the book being quite short. Romance takes its time and therefore fails insta love (which often happens in short romances). I didn't particularly empathize with the protagonist, Jess. The book is told only from his pov. This poor girl's brain was going to three thousand 🤣 many times I found myself saying "please stop thinking, take a deep breath and try again" haha. I missed the male POV, especially as I fell so much in love with Nick through Jess's eyes . When he revealed his past I have to admit that some tears fell. It would have been nice to see everything through his eyes. A super cute romcom that I really enjoyed!

and just like that I finished this one lol I really enjoyed it and loved the characters. their story lines were complex while also staying light and fluffy. I would deff recommend.

Thankyou firstly to the publishers canelo fir this wonderful read .

I've never read a Nina Kaye book before and thought after others enjoying her book why not give it ago. And I can say I'm so glad I did .

I really enjoy the slow burn romance with the grumpy character and happy go lucky character. I also liked the part where she become career to her brother it really showed both Vulnerability and her caring nature you could see there was a special bond with her brother I did feel for them both I could really relate to them In the aspect.
I also enjoy the parts with the zoo which jess ends up working on with you company and the whole will they won't they love story in parts it did remind me of the book we brought a zoo. It was very heart warming and great cozy read .

I loved all the characters but most of all enjoyed reading how jess grows as a character.

Nine definitely put so much in to her writing flowed so well and really brought warmth to your hearts.

If you love a bit of ,grumpy sunshine love story and new beginnings this is for you definitely a wonderful cozy read .

I give this book 4 heart warming stars 🌟

Mein Leseerlebnis

Das Buch lässt sich insgesamt gut lesen, der Schreibstil wirkte auf mich angenehm locker und einnehmend. Beim Lesen bin ich dadurch gleich in einen guten Lesefluss gekommen.

Im Leben der Heldin ist so einiges los und sie steht unter ständiger Anspannung, dies wurde von der Autorin gut vermittelt und es viel mir leicht mit Jess mitzufühlen.

Jess und Nick fand ich als Hauptcharaktere faszinierend und auch sympathisch, auch wenn ich mit Nick erst nach und nach warm geworden bin. Ein paar Kapitel aus seiner Sichtweise wären hilfreich gewesen, um mit ihm eine noch tiefere Verbindung eingehen zu können.

Im Verlauf der Geschichte kam es meiner Meinung nach zu zwei unnötigen, unglaubwürdigen und frustrierenden Entwicklungen. Dem Buch hätten gut 30-40 Seiten weniger wahrscheinlich gut getan. So hat die Autorin versucht die Seiten mit Sachen zu füllen, die sich nicht gut in die Geschichte eingefügt haben. Dadurch wurde mein Leseerlebnis etwas getrübt.

🖤🖤🖤1/4

Für wen?

Wer Liebesromane mag, in denen die beiden Hauptcharaktere ein Missverständnis überwinden und das primär in einem Tierpark spielt, für den könnte das Buch einen Versuch wert sein.

I wanted to like this book but it was so slow. I just could not get into the main character. She was annoying. The brother seemed like a good strong character but after he had his stroke, his dialogue was distracting. I am a nurse myself, so reading those ellipses made me cringe. I just think this author could have spent more time with stroke survivors as some parts were uncomfortable for me.

The main characters job was also unappealing, I have no interest in marketing. I did love the zoo scenery and the book bf was cute but just could not get into it and ended up being a DNF a third of the way in.

This started off great. Amazing, fierce banter between the MCs that was was almost like an enemies-to-lovers situation but soon they began warming up to each other.

The whole 'save the park and animals' scenario was heart-warming and I loved how cute the animal scenes were.

But towards the end, especially after the 70% mark, the behavior of both the MCs were too weird and didn't make sense at all. And the conflict was definitely stupid to begin with.

Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgally for the early copy in exchange for my honest review. I was super excited to read this book after reading the synopsis. Unfortunately it drug on and wasn't my cup of tea. I might've liked it better if it was a little shorter and the characters were more lovable.

All good, interesting topics ….disability and caring responsibilities, an animal park with conservation at it’s heart and two people with opposite characters. I settled into really enjoying this book, great subject matter and an easy reading style, however by half way I became a little bored and started skipping pages. Eventually the story and I ‘were on the same page’ and I then found the ending very convenient…….if only real life were that way!
All in all a middle of the road story that fulfilled a need for a quick easy read one afternoon.
Thank you Netgalley for the A.R.C.

I wanted to love this book. This book was not for me.

I could not connect or get in to it at all. I kept finding myself read the same sentence over and over and over cause my mind kept wondering away. What I did read I just was not enjoying. I found it very dull and if I am honest boring and very predictable.

It took me about 5 days to get through 25 percent of the book and it was the longest 5 days of my reading life.

I found that this was just extremely slow. It was a fun romance but it could have been shorter and moved at a better pace. I loved the Grumpy MC and felt this that worked well. I didn't particularly like Jess and found that I didn't really connect with them as a couple, or her at all.

The romance was okay but it felt like reading it through a window rather than experiencing it with the characters.

I really enjoyed this story!

What started as a misunderstanding turned in to a slow burn romance

I thought that there was a good storyline and that the book was well written, it had a great flow to the story that kept me turning the pages.

The characters were well developed and ones that you could really relate too.

It is 4 stars from me for this one - highly recommended!

This was such a fun rom-com! If you want a romance that will make you swoon and smile, this is the title for you! It was a quick and easy read and probably not too memorable, but sometimes that's just what you need! I enjoyed Jess and Nick and getting to read their romance.

Reviewed for NetGalley:

A quick, sweet read perfect for lounging around on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Jess is living a great life as a senior events manager for an Edinburgh-based firm, in fact she is hoping for promotion when she finds out that her beloved older brother has had a stroke and is incapacitated. Their parents, who live abroad, seem happy to abdicate all responsibility for their son's recovery and well-being to Jess, although they do at least agree to fund some support. However, when Jess proposes a flexible working arrangement with her boss he utterly refuses to countenance it, re-allocates her prestigious high-profile events to more junior staff and effectively demotes her to dealing with smaller, less interesting clients like East Lothian Wildlife Park which is in danger of closing unless it can raise some serious cash through various fund-raising events.

Jess does her best with the animal park, but the head keeper Nick pours cold water on all her ideas, not only that but he's the creep who tried to hit on her while she was distraught outside the hospital after learning of her brother's stroke.

But gradually as the staff pull together to pull off different events Jess and Nick find they have something in common after all - and it might just be animal attraction (I'll get my coat). But Nick has said he wants something straightforward and uncomplicated after his ex-wife cheated on him several times, which is the exact opposite of Jess' life, she daren't let him know about her carer responsibilities so she'll have to keep her brother a secret from him.

I've read a couple of books by Nina Kaye before and enjoyed her different take on romance. Unfortunately, this didn't really work for me. Jess' thinking made no sense to me and consequently she created all the drama unnecessarily. Everything was all a bit too coincidental and there was no real dramatic tension or conflict.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I really felt for the main character in this book and all the things that she had to deal with. Life definitely dealt her a bit of a rubbish hand. But things did get better for her and the romance in the storyline felt authentic and for me it was an enjoyable read.

Oh, I adored this book! Right away my heart was in it for Jess,. From having to deal with her brother’s stroke basically alone, to crappy work situation and boss and just feeling out of sorts about life in general.

Enter Nick. The grumpy animal caretaker you can’t help but love.

Oh this book made me giddy. I wouldn’t call it enemies to lovers, it’s more of a meet - bad (what do we call the opposite of a meet cute), to misunderstandings, a little prickliness, but then the feelings come. This is a closed door romance, but I was just so in for these two I just wanted to see them figure it out.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!