My Goodreads review starts with: “…this was weird?” Because it was lol At least to me. Y’all this is a prime example of why I need to read the synopsis, or at least part of it. Because I was not expecting them to start talking about ghosts and supernatural beings lol I was so confused. But once I paused it and read it, I felt more caught up and ready to read. Yes I know I’m a mess….. No I do not care lol

Ok so the coolest thing about this was definitely their jobs. We don’t get to see much of Clark’s individual work, but we do get to see Riley in action. Which good for us because Riley’s work was more cool anyway lol But, with that being said, she wasn’t as accepted as she she should have been. Even Clark was an asshole at first. I loved that Riley was so secure in who she was and she didn’t accept any crazy from anyone. Clark was an asshole, but he got it honestly. His dad was so mean for no reason. I hated the way he was ok with Riley as long as she was quiet and not actually working with his son. He was annoying and I wanted him to go away and stop harassing them. (Ok that’s probably not what it was, but it felt like it lol) I didn’t realize it until writing this review that their parents both shaped them into the type of person they became. The problem was, one wasn’t good, and the other was hella defensive. It was interesting watching their stories come together.

The plot was ok, but weird. Lol Well not really weird, just unique. I hadn’t read the synopsis before I added this to my TBR. I just read that it was by Rosie Danan and I was sold. I really enjoyed The Roommate and that’s all I needed. It had so much going on, I just think it should have gone more indepth into what she did overall versus what she was doing specifically for this project. Because I gotta be honest, I was trying to describe this to my husband to tell him why I kept like laughing, but he gave me a strange face and said, “That sounds like a por_o.” And I have to admit, he was right. When she said, “We must complete this sex act to break the curse I just face palmed. Did I read it? Yes, but that’s not the point lol I do also think it could have benefitted to have another aspect to the plot because when she was “thinking” of what could be wrong, it wasn’t really anything happening. They were acting like children and trying to decide if the curse that made him itch was real. Idk it was just weird.

The romance when they finally got it together was also weird. It was like no chemistry at all until they got into bed together. But I still can’t decide if that was because of the type of person the MMC was, or if it was because they were “enemies” and ya’ll know how I feel about enemies to lovers lol I just tried to ignore it for the most part. Luckily I was listening to it. I think otherwise I might have DNFed it.

This was cute, and I’m actually kind of hoping for a sequel lol I want it set in the place they went to after this was over with the two characters the people that were also at the end. I won’t say who because of spoilers, but with the way they were acting at the end of the story, they’re bound to have more chemistry than these two lol

5 Stars

I fucking loved this book. So much. Carter and Riley are one of the best enemies-to-lovers, POSSIBLY fated mates, tropes I have read in a long while. We have old Scottish castles, and ancient curses, and academia, and skepticism, and curse breaking, and, my favorite, “let me put these rare books in the corner so I don’t destroy them while ravishing you”. OH AND MAYBE EVEN *wink wink* A SEX RITUAL. You’ll have to read it to find out.

I love that we didn’t get a third act breakup as the conflict, and that our characters had a ton of growth. The book was massively bingeable and totally what my reading slump needed. I don’t want to give much away, but I will say I had NO IDEA what to expect and this one exceeded my wildest imagination. It’s so unique and wholly original in concept and is one I plan to reread!

Absolutely recommend picking this one up, especially on audio! It’s a dual pov and has two narrators who both do an incredible job.

I really was excited to read this. I love the idea of the characters as well as the setting. It seemed like such a perfect fall read with a little rom-com feel. I was wrong. It started out well but then it just got dirty. I don't mind some saucy bits but it just threw me right out of the story and I was disgusted with the writing and the whole scene. I did not finish it.

"Do Your Worst" Rosie took this title and thought "I am going to do my worst to my readers too" and she DID. Loved it and it is worth the hype. It's such a fun time. Sit back and enjoy the ride!

I love Rosie Danan’s writing, The Roommate is one of my favorite romances. Unfortunately, this one took me almost 50% of the way to get into but I did end up really enjoying the last half of the book which I think it’s just a testament to how well Rosie Danan writes romance (and spice) and not so much the story itself. I’ll pick up anything Rosie Danan writes and know if nothing else I’ll enjoy the romance.

Most readers probably won’t run into this but I kept mixing up Riley and Clark. Something about those names, maybe because they’re both gender-neutral, mixed me up. I couldn’t remember who was who! Not the fault of Danan but didn’t help me with the book either way. Ultimately I didn’t really care about the curse and couldn’t really get into it or caring if they broke the curse at all which Im sure is what prevented me from really enjoying the first half. I did enjoy Riley and Clark’s interactions and eventually grew to love them but it took quite a bit of time for me to get there.

Redeeming qualities for me were the audiobook narrators, cursebreaker premise, Scottish setting, great HEA/epilogue and the 10/10 spice. Most of the rest of the plot and chemistry between the characters didn’t connect for me.

Thank you to Berkley, NetGalley and Libro.fm for the ARC/ALC.

This is a fun enemies to lovers romance between two wildly different people that have a surprising amount in common. I enjoyed the spark between them and being a Rosie Danan novel there is quite a bit of steam when they act on that spark. I'm not sure I felt a forever connection, but it is entertaining to see them trying to figure it out.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for an advance copy of this!

I have been such a fan of Rosie Danan since reading The Roommate last year. I knew she would be an autobuy/autoread author after that.

"What happened?"
"I fell in love."

This book was different compared to not only to her other books but other contemporary romances out there (that I am aware of). This book gives us not only romance and a mystery all set in a Scottish setting. You have two characters whose occupations are such an extension of them and Clark doesn't believe in what Riley does as a curse breaker. The tension didn't come right away which I appreciated by Danan because we got that heat fairly quickly as their relationship began as a one night stand.

But one of my issues was that enemy tension, it just didn't feel real? They came off a little dramatic and it felt like they were enemies for the sake of being enemies so we could have a trope. I did like the banter and the sex ritual as Danan excels in her spicy scenes.

I also was very happy to see that there was no 3rd act break up!!! I am so used to romances having this that this was refreshing. But instead we got a very tender heart to heart moment between Riley and her mother which I thought was so beautiful!

I appreciated Danan doing something different in a romance. Seeing her speak about this book I can totally see how her love of historical romances (and the movie "The Mummy") influenced this.

Not my favorite as my heart is still belongs to her debut but it is still a solid romance.

Highlights:

Scottish Highlands
Curse breaking
Enemies to lovers
Workplace romance
Forced proximity

Riley Rhodes, a curse-breaker, is hired to break a three-hundred-year curse at a Scottish castle. Clark Edgeware, a disgraced archeologist, took the job at the castle to redeem his reputation and save his career. The last thing he needs is a curse-breaker to jeopardize his chance at redemption. When Riley overhears Clark trying to get her fired, she decides to drive Clark away from the castle so she can do her job, but it proves more difficult than she hoped.

Rosie Danan is an auto-buy author for me, and I was very excited to read Do Your Worst. I love the premise of the book and the curse-breaking aspect. Unlike her other books, Do Your Worst has a bit of paranormal and historical romance vibes. Riley and Clark have great chemistry, and the sex scenes are scorching hot. Do Your Worst was a fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I knew from the beginning of this book that it was going to be a hit for me. There were so many things so "right" about this enemies-to-lovers story, and below are the top reasons I enjoyed this book.

• I adored this couple, together and individually. Both Riley and Clark popped off the page for me. They had great personalities, and I instantly wanted to know them better. I also felt the need to root for them as they tried to prove/redeem themselves. It warmed my heart to see their flirty-banter take a softer turn as they bonded over their personal quests. These two were red hot together, but they also got into some situations that were hilarious and over the top. I loved it!

• The setting was such a great perk too. Being in the Scottish highlands was a treat. Danan gave me a taste of Scotland, and it was a perfect place for the curse breaking to take place with its rich history and legends to leverage.

• The curse breaking was really interesting. I was intrigued by Riley's family history and the methodology of curse breaking. It was like watching a mystery unfold, as Riley and Clark uncovered artifacts, hidden messages, and history in their quest to break the curse. I really found this to be a special part of the story.

Overall, I had the best time working with Riley and Clark as they attempted to break the curse on Arden Castle. Danan brought the heat, humor, and heart with this tale, and I found myself delighted as I devoured it.

Do Your Worst is seriously hot, tons of fun, and incredibly addictive. A bold and bright curse breaker + a stalwart archaeologist determined to repair his reputation = one heck of a good time.

Riley Rhodes is determined to be the first person in her family to turn curse breaking into a legitimate business. An opportunity to break an ancient curse in the Scottish Highlands is perfect. What she doesn’t expect is there to be a grumpy archeologist determined to get her kicked off the site. It’s been less than a year since Clark Edgeware faced betrayal and a massive career setback. He’s committed to rebuilding his image and the last thing he needs is some quack – no matter how distractingly sexy – messing up his job site. Clark and Riley are each determined to make the other leave, but with the help of the curse, they’re about to learn firsthand why enemies to lovers is such an enduring trope.

Riley and Clark are both a delight for different reasons. Riley is energetic, smart, and brave; she’s faced more criticism than you can imagine and she’s got tough skin. That doesn’t mean no one can get under it – Clark sure does. Clark is a gentleman in the streets and I bet you can figure out what that means in the sheets. He’s grumpy and still stinging from the wounds of betrayal when he meets Riley. Though he tries to get her fired, he can’t help but be drawn to her and what she shows him starts to open his mind. Clark has been hurt and the wounds not yet healed, so my heart broke for him a couple of times over the course of the story. I loved watching both he and Riley come into their own. They each have a journey to make individually as well as one to go on as a couple.

Enemies to lovers isn’t my favorite genre but Rosie Danan could make it so if they were all written like Clark and Riley. I absolutely loved the crackling chemistry that lit up the page – Do Your Worst is seriously hot. Add in a mystery revolving around how to break the curse, research that takes some very sexy turns, family drama, and entertaining hijinks and you’ve got one wonderfully entertaining story. I finished Riley and Clark’s story eager for a re-read and I cannot wait to see what Danan comes up with next!

Rosie Danan is such a fun author. I love the two completely varying personalities in these characters and how well she manages to mesh them as a couple.

A fun blend of a slightly paranormal and an archaeology setting. The enemies to lovers was well done and the sex scenes were spicy.

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.