It’s no secret I love a great steamy enemies to lovers romance. And this one D E L I V E R S! This one has some great banter, amaxing tension, and a great supernatural aspect to it. It’s a great addition to your spooky season TBR list.

I highly recommend the audio for this one!

Riley Rhodes is a cursebreaker investigating a cursed Scottish castle. Clark Edgeware is a disgraced archaelogist who can’t allow a “scam artist” cursebreaker to get in his way. Enemies to lovers, forced proximity, Scottish castle setting. I was so excited for this one!
Unfortunately, I was incredibly underwhelmed. The “enemies” were just two people who had no actual reason to hate each other. I actually kept forgetting that this was set in Scotland because there was nothing about the setting, story, or characters that felt distinct from a typical American setting. There was no culture or atmosphere. The writing was also very surface level. The narration was clunky and often left me feeling disconnected. The characters were interesting, but they lacked emotional depth and their relationship never convinced me beyond the physical. It was a horrific case of insta-lust that never developed past that point.
The cursebreaker aspects were interesting, but those too felt underdeveloped. There was no real world building around it. No how or why, no details beyond the absolute bare minimum. It didn’t make sense if I thought about it for more than two seconds.
I just needed more depth to the characters and their relationship, and I wish the writing were a bit stronger. It wasn't bad, I'm just not sure I could call it good, either.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and Let's Talk Books for the advanced reader copy and to PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

Riley heads to Scotland to enhance her reputation as a curse breaker. Though curse breaking runs in the family, she is the first to try to make her living from it. When she arrives, she meets Clark, an archaeologist studying the same castle, and he assumes she is a scammer.

I really loved the curse breaking. It was such a unique romance novel concept while still fitting well into the paranormal romance genre. It felt like it played with lots of Celtic mythology about the fae and curses. I would love to see more in this story world.

The romance was quite steamy, as I expected given the author's previous books. But the romance between Riley and Clark felt a bit rushed. While I loved the forced proximity and other tropes, I would have liked a bit more depth of emotion.

Shane East and Saskia Maarleveld narrated the audiobook. The audio felt like the most engaging format for me. I always enjoy her narration, and his was as excellent.

Thank you Net Galley and Berkeley for the ARC!

I absolutely loved this book. It was the perfect mix of funny and SPICY. I loved the banter and the tension and the growth of the characters. 10/10 would recommend if you’re looking for a dislike to lovers, he falls first, steamy, romance taking place in a cursed archeological site.

—🌟: 4.5/5
This was one of my most highly anticipated romance reads of the year because, hello, a curse breaker and an archeologist at a castle in Scotland? Sign me up. This book gave me enemies to lovers (and there may or may not be a knife to the throat scene), forced proximity,

Beyond the love story, my favorite part of this book was the curse and the story behind it. Not only did it allow for all kinds of fun antics, but I was also fascinated by the history that Riley and Clark uncovered through their work. It’s not that hard for a reader to figure out what needs to happen to break the curse, but it’s still entertaining watching Riley finally make her way to that realization.

Speaking of Riley, I really enjoyed her as an FMC. While she faces some insecurities in her ability to make her work a legitimate business, she never backs down from a challenge, which I appreciated.

I don’t know if I would necessarily qualify this as a enemies with benefits romance, but it’s something close to that. Riley and Clark hit it off right away, that is, when he doesn’t know that she’s been brought in to break a curse. When he tries to get her fired, however, all bets are off (and with good reason). Their mutual hatred of each other does nothing to cool the heat between them, and it was so fun watching them try to resist each other.

The only thing that kept this from being a full five stars was that I found myself wanting more explanation behind Riley’s curse breaking ability, especially when she would reference past curses she’s broken.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fun enemies to lovers romp with a truly unique premise, then be sure to check this one out!

meh, this one didn't do anything for me. the insta love type trope is outplayed and just unbelievable IMO.

This one was just okay for me.

I liked that both main characters had fun, unique jobs (curse breaker and archeologist). I also liked the spooky, Scottish castle setting. I liked some of the growth both characters showed as they learned to deal with their insecurities and baggage. The biggest problem was I didn't believe the romance. It felt like insta-love and was way more physical than emotional. These characters swung from being so mean and cruel to hooking up that I got whiplash at times. I also felt that the third person narration left me feeling disconnected from the characters. I did appreciate the dual POV. I love getting both perspective in a romance book.
Overall, there were some fun and steamy moments in this but it felt a bit surface level at times. I do think there are romance readers out there that will enjoy it.

3 Stars
This was a fun read with great banter. The curse element was really interesting but I was a bit disappointed with the execution of it - I wanted more background for sure. I did find it to start to get slow the last few chapters though. I wasn't super invested in the MCs and their relationship, it was just okay for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC!

This is one of the most memorable romances I've ever read this year - perfect enemies to lovers setup, a kind of zany solution to the mystery at hand, and some excellent spicy scenes (like, I read this three months ago and I am still thinking of one them 🥵).

✔️ Enemies to Lovers
✔️ Workplace
✔️ Forced Proximity
✔️ Opposites Attract
✔️ Grumpy/Sunshine

-- summary
A curse-breaker and an archaeologist butt heads as both are hired to work on the same site. Too bad they are both insanely attracted to each other while also feeling that they cannot achieve career goals with the other in the way.

--my thoughts
I was prepared to enjoy this (ask me how much I loved Rosie's other books), but it surpassed my expectations. It was so funny (situationally but also the dialogue) and just plain joy from cover to cover. I loved both characters though of course Clark was my favorite (I adore the buttoned up by the book type who is forced to let go and relax hahah). And did I mention how terrific the spice was - incredibly hot especially the caught in the rain scene.

A perfect low-angst, high-hijinx romance.

Steam 🔥🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕

I really enjoyed this! It’s my third read by Rosie Danan and definitely my favorite of them. I love a good romance with paranormal aspects. Clark is so Roy Kent coded and I love that so much. Definitely would recommend, I had a great time with this book!

I'm not reading many straight stories lately, but I'm glad I read this one. Rosie Danan always has a way of keeping me invested from the first page. The humor is perfect, and the tropes are A+

I love that Rosie did something different with this book by adding a fun paranormal aspect and being set in a cursed Scottish castle. Like her other books this one also has fun characters, a slightly wacky plot, and AMAZING spice.

In this book we meet Riley Rhodes a curse breaker who was hired to break the curse on an infamous Scottish castle. At the castle she meets archeologist Clark Edegeware. Fresh off a professional scandal, Clark can't allow a self-proclaimed "curse breaker" to threaten his last chance for redemption. After he fails to get Riley kicked off his survey site, he vows to avoid her. Unfortunately for him, she vows to get even. Riley expects the curse to do her dirty work by driving Clark away, but instead, they keep finding themselves in close proximity. Too close. Turns out, the only thing they do better than fight is fool around.

I really loved Riley and Clark and their hate to love relationship. Their banter and spicy scenes were my favorite parts of this book. I do wish it was first person POV but that’s just personal preference the third person POV was done well.

My biggest issue with the book was the pacing. Some parts of it were just so slow to get through and I just wanted to get to parts where the couple were interacting. Overall I did enjoy this and am looking forward to seeing what Rosie writes next.

I LOVED the author's two previous books, rated them both five stars. This one has a totally different vibe and it didn't work for me. It's slow and I was bogged down by all the archeological stuff. Enemies to lovers sometimes doesn't work for me when the characters are too mean to each other and that's the case here. I just can't believe they would get past that and fall for each other. There are some nice sexy parts but overall this was a miss for me. I'm sure there are many romance readers that would like it though.

Included as a top pick in weekly November New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

A curse breaker and an archaeologist find themselves in an enemies-with-benefits situation that just might lead to romance.

I was a fan of Danan’s previous books, The Roommate and the Intimacy Experiment so I was excited to read Do Your Worst. I love a good enemies to lovers trope and this one did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the Scottish legends, magic, curses and mystical elements in this book. It was very different from Danan’s previous books that I read.

Clark and Riley were a fun, opposites attract kind of couple. Clark is rigid, logical and stuck on scientific fact. Riley is emotional and honed in on mystical elements. I loved watching these two come together and seeing them come to terms with each other’s beliefs. And can I just say that the steam here was on point and a bit kinky.

𝗣𝗨𝗕 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪

Thank you #partners @berkleyromance & @prhaudio for the #gifted copies #BerkleyIG #berkleyromancepartner #penguinrandomhousepartner

𝗗𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁
𝗥𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗻

⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁: What do you get when you cross an American cursebreaker with a British archeologist? Enemies with benefits, of course! Riley and Clark's dislike for one another is almost as strong as their mutual attraction. 🥵

💭 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: Rosie Danan was not 𝘿𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙩 when she brought the spice to these pages!! 🔥 Whewwwwy this puppy packs a steamy punch. 🌶️ Bringing forced proximity, opposites attract, and TRUE enemies-to-lovers, Do Your Worst has so much to love: banter, angry sexy scenes, and angsty pining in spades. Blending themes of mysticism, Scottish lore, and adventure, this atmospheric romcom set in the Highlands is fresh, sexy, and fun!

📌 Out now!

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Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing the ARC.

This was a cute book, especially if you love things a little mystical and a very strong lean into the enemies portion of the enemies to lovers trope.

Riley and Clark couldn't be any more different in their professions. One places stake in the supernatural, the other deals in facts, research, and things he is able to perceive with his own two eyes. It's no wonder that even though there's a spark, these two would clash.

And clash they did. I've read some enemies to lovers stuff where I would have had a hard time coming back to a place of respect after what was said, but wow, some of the remarks that came from the two main characters were rough. It was hard for me to see at times how they would overcome their differences and actually get to the lovers portion of the book when everything was wrapped up in so much disdain for the other. Don't get me wrong, the payoff was well worth it in the end. I just wanted a bit more reconciliation and understanding before we jumped off the deep end.

It was a fun read. I loved Riley for her spunk and Clark for his steadfastness, and I loved how these two found a lot more common ground in a lot of personal ways that allowed them to fall in love with each other. The cursebreaking was fun too. Seeing Riley's thought process on how she deduced ways to break the curse was incredibly interesting, especially as someone who loves solving puzzles.

Had a great time. Will likely check out Danan's other book as well.

A fun and catchy beginning, but rushed romantic development dragged down the second half. This is such a perfect late fall read - cursebreaking, magic, a Highlands castle - I mean what mroe could you possibly want in an enemies-to-lovers romance filled with tension and chemistry. I thought the story got off to a bang with Riley and Clark's first meeting and it helped ramp up the drama even more - where Clark begins to question Riley's professional validity soon after meeting, without knowing it's her. What follows is a fun, low-stakes story with banter, bickering, and chemistry to spare.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

riley rhodes and clark edgeware couldn’t be more different. riley an occult expert looking to turn her family’s knack for the supernatural into a legitimate career is called on to break a curse on an infamous scottish castle. she’s happily surprised to meet a handsome stranger when she arrives, until he tries to get her fired. clark, a disgraced archeologist, is using him last chance to survey and collect data on the castle. he doesn’t expect the stunning woman he met in the town bar, the first to make him feel something, to be the occult expert he tried to get fired. riley vows revenge, hoping that the curse will work its magic. instead they find themselves embroiled in a mess of attraction, feelings, and a curse that seems intent on driving them together.

y’all this fed my indiana jones loving soul!! the perfect blend of history, supernatural, and spice, rosie danon’s reentry into romance wowed me. this was such a fun read and i look forward to reading more from her in the future.

riley and clark were both characters that had gone through betrayals that rocked them from a young age. i loved the tender moments between them just as much if not more than the spicy moments. overall, i definitely recommend picking up do your worst.

Always fun for a romance to be set in Scotland!

Contemporary, sassy, and fun! The tension that the main characters build is compelling.