I must say I quite enjoyed this one.

Pitched as enemies to lovers, I would say it's really more of opposites attract with hints of grumpy/sunshine. The thing for me is in order to be classified as enemies to lovers one or both of the characters have to actually hate and/or strongly dislike the other. But that wasn't truly the case here.

When Riley and Clark meet at a pub they are instantly drawn to each other. They talk, have dinner, enjoy each other's company etc. They even kiss. It isn't until Riley's profession comes to light they have a problem. The problem being Clark trying to get Riley off the Arden Castle case because he believes she's a grifter, which I totally understand because if someone told me they were a curse breaker I too would think they're a loon or a liar.

Now from that point on they have a little ongoing war at work. But again they continue to fight their attraction and the growing closeness they feel to one another. However, they never truly hate each other. There was never any doubt in my mind that they would succumb to their feelings sooner rather than later.

So, let's call this what it is. A fun, easy-to-read, sexy, romantic comedy with Scotland, curse-breaking, and a little archeology as background.

I love everything that Rosie Danan writes and this was no exception. I am loving all of the supernatural romance coming out right now. This was definitely different than her other books, but just what I wanted.

AHHHHH I loved this so much! And I didn't realize how much I missed Rosie Danan's writing until I got another book by her. This is an absolute gem of a romance book, packed with adventure and slightly paranormal activities taking place at a cursed castle in Scotland,

Hate to love/enemies to lovers can be a hit or miss trope for me, but here it was an absolute hit. Clark and Riley were at odds for believable reasons: he thinks her profession of curse breaking is a sham and that she's built a career off of scamming vulnerable people. I also loved how opposite they were to each other in every way. Believer and non-believer, the organized, seemingly uptight one (him) and the one who is chaos in a person (her). But even though their fighting seems endless, there's an underscore of care from them when the other is in danger (which happens a lot when you're visiting a cursed castle--who knew?) I loved seeing them be soft with each other almost immediately after fighting.

Clark and Riley's chemistry was palpable from the beginning, before they became at odds, and it just simmered to a roiling boil as their fights grew more intense and their feelings for each other more...complicated. Now I already knew Rosie Danan could do steam, but DAMN. I love when an unsuspecting rom-com can deliver casual kink, and if it's for plot reasons? That just makes it even better.

Some other highlights before I go: the way Clark stood up to his father to defend Riley's profession, Riley's mom's obsession with old school bonkers romance books and that phone call about sex rituals, the setup at the end for Patrick and Ceilidh's romance. Honestly I could scream about this book for ages, but I'll leave it at that. I'm so pumped for another book in this series, and I hope there's another curse to be broken and lots more adventure to be had between two people who shouldn't be falling in love but are!

Between this one and The Roommate, I'm not sure which is my favorite by this author. It's such a close call, I'll have to sleep on it. Either way, this book just proves to me that Rosie Danan can do no wrong.

Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan review

I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were charming, and their chemistry was obvious from the first page.

Do Your Worst follows Riley Rhodes, a curse breaker currently working to rid an infamous Scottish castle of its curse. On her first night, she goes to a bar and meets Clark Edgeware, an archeologist who is also working at the castle, attempting to clear his name after a professional scandal. Neither of them knows who the other is, and they end up hitting it off. It is only after Clark finds out who Riley is and what she is doing at the castle that they go from potential lovers to enemies.
Through a series of strange happenings and getting to know each other due to the forced proximity, they both realize that maybe they aren’t truly enemies after all and that to break the curse, they might just have to be the very opposite.

These characters fit so well together because they face the same internal struggles just in different ways. They find peace and healing within themselves through their relationship and then beyond that. Riley and Clark are flawed characters who just need some love and acceptance. There’s so much relatability in this, especially in Clark’s attempts at receiving validation from his father.
Something else that I enjoyed about this book was the supernatural element. Having the curse be akin to a living entity was such a fun addition to this rom-com since it plays such an integral role in Riley and Clark's pairing. I mean, there’s a whole ritual that takes place….
The spice was also very well written. It wasn’t overdone, and I found that it added more layers to the story since their intimacy revolved around trust.

Overall, I thought this was a thoroughly entertaining book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys spicy rom-coms.

My rating: ⅘

This is a great enemies-to-lovers romance, perfect for the Halloween season or anytime you want some spooky vibes with your rom-com. I usually *hate* enemies-to-lovers, too, so this one had to be particularly great to overcome my deep-seated trope antipathy. It's great. (Also, god, that cover!)

3.5 rounded to 4/5

This is a tough one for me. There was a lot that I enjoyed but still some stuff that was a bit off for me. I was so into the setting and ideas behind the curse breaking in a Scottish castle. I was also glad that they were actually somewhat fitting to the enemies aspect of the enemies to lovers trope lol but they were still not quite enemies - they liked each other before getting mad and arguing for a bit. Unfortunately, because of the "enemies"/opposites attract facets, we were left with a bit of instalust/instalove and surface level attraction. I had a harder time picturing them with a deeper connection. But hey it's ~magic~ and it was still fun. Overall, I didn't struggle to finish this and it was a good little spooky season read.

Riley Rhodes finally has the chance to turn her family’s knack for the supernatural into a legitimate business when she’s hired to break the curse on an infamous Scottish castle. Used to working alone in her alienating occupation, she's pleasantly surprised to meet a handsome stranger upon arrival—until he tries to get her fired. Fresh off a professional scandal, Clark Edgeware 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. If they’re not careful, by the end of all this, more than the castle will end up in ruins.

First off does the man on the cover not give Roy Kent vibes?! I can't not picture him! I loved Rosie Danan's first two books, so I was so excited to get a sneak peak at Do Your Worst. We've got some magical realism at play here, perfect for spooky season. She's a free-spirit curse breaker, he's a rule following archeologist. Right off the bat they don't get along, but somehow they find themselves attract to each other from the first time they met in the pub. It's a classic enemies to lovers romance with a little prequel of love at first sight. I thought it started off a little slow, but ultimately I couldn't stop turning the pages to see what would happen. I loved how Riley helped Clark with his family drama and that it actually lead to his father changing and the whole family reuniting for the better.

All in all I didn't think this book was as strong as her first two books. I thought her first two books were clever and put some really taboo topics at play in a cool approachable way. This book felt safe compared to those.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review. This book releases 11/14!

I LOVE Rosie Danan and to say I was excited for her newest would be a huge understatement. Unfortunately not even the fun enemies to lovers, cursed Scottish castle premise could save this disappointing read for me. I wasn't able to get invested in either main character and really felt that there was something important missing in this one. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. Die hard Spooky Season fans might still enjoy this one but it was a miss for me :(

This was an interesting story and a very steamy read.

Perhaps because I was listening while doing work, I think I missed some things. I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Riley and Clark develop. They went from “enemies” to lovers. They were both working on the same site with different visions then slowly moved to working together.

I think there were moments that I was surprised by the steaminess and how they moved into intimacy despite disliking each other.

Overall enjoyable and fun. (3.5/3.75)

This is not you mother's Scottish love story. It's contemporary romance with some very nice spice. Those readers with a love for Scottish romance, DEFINATELY add this to your list! So this is also an enemies to lovers trope that is very well done. This is just a good time.

A cursebreaker and a grumpy disgraced archeologist become enemies-with-benefits when they both find themselves working on the same site that is said to be cursed. Riley Rhodes comes from a family of cursebreakers. She wants to make her family's talent a legitimate business and the first step in doing so is working as the new cursebreaker on an infamous Scottish castle. She thought she would be working online until she finds out that the cute guy she went on a date with the night before just happens to be a grumpy archeologist who is trying to get her fired and thinks she's a con artist. Clark Edgeware is fresh off a professional scandal and needs this new dig to help him regain his reputation. Clark wants Riley off his site, especially because he thinks she'll ruin his chance at redeeming his reputation, yet the tension between them is palpable, and the "hate" they feel is only leading to them getting closer. Clark and Riley can't stand to be in the same room, they both believe in different things, yet the more time they spend together the more they're starting to fall for each other. Can Riley break the curse before it's too late and can Clark work out his feelings for his infuriating enemy before the start of a potential relationship is left in ruins. This was a enemies to lovers relationship with a tiny bit of paranormal. It's an overall kind of cozy romance. The story is a bit slow and kind of lacking in excitement or paranormal aspect. It's an okay read if you like slow romances but it just was okay for me. I didn't really feel the chemistry between the two characters, like I can understand a rivals to lovers but they really didn't feel like they had anything that would make this a lasting relationship between them. I wish this worked out better, I really wanted to like this more, but unfortunately it was just kind of lacking.

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

It's never a good sign when it takes me a whole week to finish a book. While I'm giving this ARC 3 stars, let me just state that it was 3, maybe 4 days for me to get beyond the first 10% of the book. The first 30-40 pages are slow and did not capture my attention very quickly. I'm loathe to DNF ARCs (a personal problem, not casting judgment on anyone) or else I would have thrown in the towel.
Once it caught my attention, it was a very fun book, a classic case of the enemies to lovers trope deployed to fairly good success. I do think the pacing was a bit off, the beginning of their relationship is so rocky and filled with each of them trying to manipulate the other and then barely a week or so passes before they're trying to break a curse by having sex and then a day later, professing their love for each other. The sex itself is very VERY steamy (I love a MMC who is a bit repressed and uptight and then turns into a feral dirty talking beast in bed, or on a library table). But I don't know how exactly these two fell in love between all their investigating and manipulating and whatnot. The romance itself felt lacking in that while the actual declarations of love were very romantic, how we got to that point felt rather sparse.

Content notes: parental issues, abandoned by father, professional scandal, brother issues

This book started off so strong. It was funny, and lighthearted while still having excellent enemy/lovers vibes. Then they fell in love, and I literally just skimmed the last 25% of the book. I personally like this author quite a bit, so it was a little sad that this book didn't hit for me like her others

I loved this book! Riley and Clint were a fantastic enemies-lovers duo and the curse breaking mystique just made it impossible to put down. The chemistry was fantastic and heartfelt throughout. The archaeologist and curse breaker falling to break a centuries old curse also born out of love made for a plot that I was surprised and enthralled by throughout. Would highly recommend if you want a fun romp with some really lovely heart to it.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for my e-ARC of Do Your Worst.

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
👫🏼 love enemies to lovers
🧿 believe in curses
🏰 want to visit a Scottish castle
🏺 are interested in archeology

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Riley Rhodes finally has the chance to turn her family’s knack for the supernatural into a legitimate business when she’s hired to break the curse on an infamous Scottish castle. Used to working alone in her alienating occupation, she's pleasantly surprised to meet a handsome stranger upon arrival—until he tries to get her fired.

Fresh off a professional scandal, Clark Edgeware 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. If they’re not careful, by the end of all this, more than the castle will end up in ruins.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

This was a fun enemies to lovers romcom with a paranormal theme, but unfortunately I did find it a bit slow at times and overall wanted more information and action concerning the curse and archeology aspect than was offered. I enjoyed the spicy scenes, but it was hard to really see the two of them as a couple who shared the same interests, especially since Clark was such a skeptic. If you’re a fan of spice, you’ll definitely like this one, but overall it just wasn’t my favorite.

Pub Date: November 14

This book is so fun! Though it's not really a paranormal romance, it does have paranormal aspects and I loved the grumpy archeologist vs sunshine curse breaker - the banter still has me swooning! It's just such a romp and I can't wait to reread.

I loved the ancient Scottish castle setting and I love a book who doesn't take itself too seriously, and this really scratched that itch for me! Truly had such a fun time and highly highly recommend

Read this for:
- Enemies with Benefits
- Forced Proximity
- banter
- CAT
- SPICE
- We HAVE to have sex to break the curse, obviously

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Do Your Worst is a spicy contemporary romance with paranormal elements featuring the “enemies to lovers” and forced proximity tropes. I would recommend Do Your Worst to fans of books like My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, The Kiss Curse by Erin Sterling, Something Wilder by Christina Lauren, Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, and Witcha Gonna Do? by Avery Flynn. Themes and topics present include language and communication, history and folklore, archeology, family, legacy, lies and deception, reputation, loneliness and isolation, teamwork, appearance versus reality, as well as love and sacrifice.

Overall, I personally didn’t feel that the plot of Do Your Worst was very engaging. Furthermore, I’m not a fan of historical fiction and, even though Do Your Worst is set in the present, there are a lot of historical elements interwoven into the story including the folklore surrounding the ancient curse as well as the history of and the archeological dig at Arden Castle. Additionally, I didn’t really feel connected to the main characters and was frustrated that they almost went out of their way to try to remain in the “enemies” category, despite having obvious shared interests and mutual attraction.

On the plus side, I thought that the mix of archeology and curse breaking in the plot were very unique and that the paranormal or cruse breaking elements created an almost eerie vibe, which perfectly matches the Halloween and autumn season. There was a good amount of slow burn romance and spice throughout Do Your Worst, which is perfect for fans of the “enemies to lovers” trope. I was also a fan of the ending of the book, as I thought it was very fitting, and I enjoyed the investigative or mystery elements that went into Riley’s curse breaking work as well as the humorous moments that arose during Riley and Clark’s prank-like antics.

If you’re looking for a spicy “enemies to lovers” romance with paranormal elements to add to your autumn TBR list, you should definitely check out Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan!

I think this is Danan’s best novel so far! I really rooted for both characters, though I was annoyed with Clark at first, because of how dismissive and belittling he was about Riley’s job. Danan set this up so well though — I truly felt both of their backstories and past familial traumas seamlessly fit their current personalities and fears.

The side characters *seem* like they could possibly have their own book coming? (my guess from the epilogue) Anyway, this was a lot of fun, & my favorite book by Danan.

You’ll find:
-enemies to lovers
-two grumpy love interests
-forced proximity in an abandoned, remote, old castle
-learning about curses
-town history, including a man and woman who left a message of “an end to enemies” to point to how to end the curse that Riley & Clark run into
-stuffy, pessimistic academic/archaeologist/historian Clark Edgeware
-adventurous, shameless, no-time-to-waste cursebreaker Riley Rhodes
-banter that increases already soaring tensions
-unpacking familial bruises
-steam wise: she comes first, edging, dirty talk, sex in public

steam rating: 4/5 — these two are horndogs, talk with so many innuendos whenever they are not fucking, and when they do fuck, it is delectable👌🏽

cw: on-page sexual content, abandonment, loss of a loved one referred to, toxic father-son dynamic, betrayal/deception, sexism, injuries & blood, belittling of main character’s occupation

In a shocking turn of events, I really loved this book!

I loved the inclusion of so many fantasy elements in Do Your Worst, including fae, curses, and fate.

I really enjoyed how the enemies to lovers trope was handled in this one, especially in how it related to the curse at hand. Clark and Riley were relatable main characters, and the relationship felt very genuine and real.

The antics of the curse were fun as well, and the curse/castle itself felt like a character.

I was not a fan of Danan’s Shameless duology, but I loved Do Your Worst. I highly recommend this one for romantasy lovers; it’s also a perfect read for fall and spooky season.

Thank you for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

So...if you're going to set a novel in Scotland and build the plot on a Highlands curse, you should maybe include a prominent Scottish character? Right? Or maybe this is simply a me-problem?

Riley, an American curse breaker determined to build a career out on her family calling, and Clark, a British archaeologist set on repairing his career after a professional scandal, couldn't be more different. Now, here they both are, working adjacently at a cursed Scottish castle—a classic and well-set-up opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers scenario. But, again, except for an occasional appearance of minor characters at the local bar, a little bit of Gaelic found carved in a cave and the castle's dungeon, and one festival scene, it really seemed like this could've been set in nearly any isolated location.

I also couldn't fully buy-in on the chemistry between Riley and Clark. They were truly unkind to each other, repeatedly and intentionally, and—now maybe this is my age or just my personal ethics talking—but, in my experience, physical attraction doesn't generally trump disdain and forgiveness usually takes some t-i-m-e.

Overall, I enjoyed the story—a good use of tropes, spicy scenes that truly advanced the plot, and a little bit of kink. All checks in the "pro" column, for sure. But the "cons"—the diluted sense of setting and my struggle to believe the chemistry between Riley and Clark—landed this one at three stars for me.