This was such a cute and wholesome romance! I know, this is a little weird to say about a spicy contemporary romance, but it has just the right amount of plot and spice.

Alec is the male main character and her tormenter from high school who wrote her messages signed "yours cruelly." Now he is back in town, a doctor, and of course, super hot. Stacia is the female main character, who has had had her heart broken numerous time. Though she cannot bring herself to forgive him, fate changes the dynamic with 2 pink lines on a pregnancy test. Now, I know what you're thinking - "I hate the pregnancy trope!" - but hear me out. It is SUCH a sweet story, and I loved every bit of it. It had me kicking my feet and smiling the entire time.

Also with these contemporary romances, there tends to be a whole lot of miscommunications and breakups, etc. This book handles the situations with maturity, as do the characters involved. I loved that they acted their ages.

The audiobook narrators are also really good, and I especially enjoyed the male's voice. Excellent narration.

My only complaint is the pregnancy timeline. It is like April or May and it says she is 12 weeks along with a due date in December. The timeline didn't quite match up. Otherwise, I thought it was a perfect little romance.

Need a good palette cleanser? This is the book for you!

Tropes: Enemies to lovers, touch her and die, morally grey MMC, accidental pregnancy

i haven’t read the first book but i still fell in love with the characters. i absolutely loved the romance and how he became such a good father. i feel like this was the perfect standalone while also being the second in a series.

Alec and Stassi have had feelings for each other since they were young but neither of them acted on it. Cue many years later and the two find themself living in their hometown again and after they finally connect, Stassi finds out she's pregnant. Can the two make it work with a baby on the way?

I listened to the audiobook of this one and the narration really complemented the story. I don't read a lot of accidental pregnancy books but this one was quite sweet. I liked hearing about the "cruel" notes Alec used to write Stassi when they were younger, it was a cute backstory. I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

A spicy enemies to lovers, bully romance with a bit of second chances wrapped into it makes this romance read, or rather listen, the one to choose! The dual narration really brings each character to life, so you feel like you are living the story rather than just reading it. I've always been a fan of dual narration, but this one really did match the voices perfectly! He tormented her throughout her childhood and teen years in a manner that has left her scarred for life and believing the worst not only in him, but in all men. She was the one he always wanted, but didn't dare risk his friendship with her brothers to be with her, but he's back, he's a doctor and he's not wasting time going after the girl of his dreams. The question is whether he can break through her barriers and survive the beating that is sure to come from her brothers! A seriously fun read. You can read or listen to this book without reading/listening to the first book, but you would be missing out on hours of amazing entertainment! I do so hope the author keeps bringing us more in this series as I am absolutely loving it!

Quick Summary: An enemies to lovers, "I've always loved you" romance

My Review: Yours Cruelly by Winter Renshaw is associated with the Paper Cuts series. It is book two.

About the Book: Love and hate are so closely related when it comes to the one who owns your heart. For Alec Mansfield and Stassi Hutton, this definitely rings true. Truth be told, what they each secretly feel for one another is something more than can ever be said. After a number of past wrongs, missteps, and not so great choices, will they finally get together? Is it even possible?

About the Characters: Without giving too much away, I will simply say that I really liked the Hutton parents. They were a steady presence in the midst of all the crazy.

My Final Say: This was a good story. The intentions of Alec were honorable in a way, even if they came off not to be so when they were younger. He was a good guy underneath the mask. Stassi was lost, but she was surviving in the best way she could under the circumstances. Her history with partners was heartbreaking. This couple made sense, in the end. They both needed to grow, and time as well as life experiences afforded them the chance to do so.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: 💗
Audiobook: Yes

Thank you to the author, to the publisher (Dreamscape Media), and to NetGalley for providing access to this title in exchange for an honest review. I am appreciative for the opportunity.

I'm doing this review live. Without further ado:

Oh noooooooooo! At 24% in, the MMC just referred to women as "the females." Non-ironically. Send help.

So far I also don't like that the FMC let a breakup kill her ambition and ruin her future (don't give men that much power, come on) or how the MMC cyberbullied her in high school, but the writing itself is fine.

Oof the MMC really defends not taking no for an answer by saying that despite her saying she does not want him, she wants him to leave her alone, etc. etc. he knows she wants him because of ~hope~. In this year 2023 Anno Domini.

ALSO what is it with all these books and violence?? The brothers, with the help of the MMC, beat up tons of guys in the past (off page) for the offense of *drumroll, please* being CONSENSUALLY romantically entangled with the FMC. Mmmkay, take several seats and an assault & battery charge.

Aw but when she's *surprise* pregnant he's not blame-y about it at all, so good for him understanding how biology works and how men are equally responsible for unplanned pregnancies.

This book has:
* enemies to lovers
* body betrayal
* instalust
* small-town
* big city boy comes to the smalltown
* rich boy, poor girl
* brother's best friend
* brothers are weirdly possessive over their sister (as in would beat up any guy she has sex with... ummmmmmm guys is this is a Lannister style family??)
* unplanned pregnancy
* forced proximity (via having a baby together)
* schtupping the neighbor

Overall, I definitely had some *issues* with this one, but the writing was stronger than I've seen from genre comparables, so I would read more by this author. Fans of Ana Huang will eat this up!

Thanks, NetGalley and Winter Renshaw, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was a mild enemies-to-lovers story with an unplanned pregnancy and an average happy ending, but I don't feel there was too much relatability to most of the characters, at least in my opinion.

I won't lie. Stassi annoyed me in the beginning half of the book, and while I understood the reason she disliked Alec, she held onto her grudge too tightly and refused to understand that Alec was a different guy trying to be better. I also felt like Alec loved Stassi more than she loved him.

While the voices didn't quite fit what I pictured, the narrators did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life and telling their story. I can't wait to read or listen to the next book in the series, and I definitely still plan to read more from Winter Renshaw in the future.