This was such a fun read!

I loved the very original meet cute in this one and from that moment on Evie was the star of the book for me. I adored her! I grew to love Oliver but definitely had moments where I wanted to give him a good hard shake.

Their chemistry was delicious and by the end I loved their connection, I was definitely cheering on their HEA.

No Romeo was a pleasant romance book!

The beginning of the book immediately drew me in with the runaway bride (FMC) right into the car of our Romeo, Oliver. She finds out her soon to be husband has been cheating on her with her MOH and she gives in a set down before running out of her wedding ceremony.

The banter that starts with Oliver and Evelyn is off the charts. There was so much chemistry between these two! Their one night only turns into Oliver seeking out Eve the morning after for a proposition--be his fake fiance so that he can buy a property and he will help her get her visa to stay in London.

Throughout the story, Evelyn stays stubborn as she doesn't want to fall prey to the same mistakes she made with her ex-fiance while Oliver persistently pursues her. Since Evelyn is a vet, we see a dog with no personal space, a safari park, and an animal sanctuary in the story.

I rated this 3/5 stars because the book dragged a little in the middle of the story. Though I loved Evelyn's stubbornness, it became tedious. There were also a few scenes that I thought could have been edited out.

Overall, this was a fun read with lots of banter and spice.

Thank you Netgalley and Montlake for an ARC copy in return for my honest opinion.

Overall I liked this book quite a bit. The meet cute between Evie and Oliver made me laugh - it was just so unexpected. And for the most part I enjoyed watching their romance develop. But there were a handful of moments where I was so irritated with Oliver and it made me not want to root for him. I was all in for Evie though as she was a really great heroine. In the end I did like these two as a couple and was happy with how their story turned out. Oliver’s friends were interesting side characters so I would be excited if they were to get their own books.

Perhaps it's because I recently read a similar book with a runaway bride that this one didn't strike me as well as maybe it could be and for that I'm sorry. But the story was a bit too long and although I love me a snarky heroine, Evelyn was a bit over the top. Donna Alam is a new to me author and I'm not sure if this is how most of her FMCs are but holy moly, Eve drove me crazy. I get that she was a hot mess when she fell literally into the lap of her now ex-fiance's business enemy as she fled her wedding but the use of that snark as a sort of foreplay with the gorgeous Oliver became simply too much for me.

Eve is a good person and I was happy in the end that she found her true love and all that jazz but she grated on my nerves with her form of wit and the constant push and pull with Oliver. I will say that some of the backstory with Oliver changing his ways for a woman he can't get enough of and his desire to ruin her ex-fiance put on the back burner because of his new persona so to speak, kept my interest when I was determined to dnf this book. The secondary characters, including the 3 and 4-legged kind saved the book for me even when less agreeable ones drove Oliver bonkers.

But the love that blooms between Eve and Oliver is true and clearly saved both from a lonely life. Good friends Fin and Matt most definitely have stories to tell so I suppose I might consider giving their books a go when released. But in the meantime, No Romeo was a bit of a miss for me so I'm giving it 2.5 stars.

This book didn't really do it for me. I struggled to get into it or connect with the characters. Tropes included: runaway-bride, billionaire, ex-fiancé's rival, fake engagement.

4.5 stars! So much fun to read!

No Romeo is the first installment in, I presume, Donna Alam's new series of interconnected standalones, My Kind of Hero, feauturing Evelyn Fairfax and Oliver Deubel.

This is a story with a miscellany of troupes and situations, opposites attract, rival's ex-fiancée, forced proximity, scandal, social media frenesi and a business in between. It's as well about friendship, activism, love in its mysterious ways and redemption.

The narrative starts strong and furious, in a romantic comedy tone, and it was one of the best meet-cute I've ever read!
Evelyn/Evie/Eve in a haste to escape her own wedding day and the fiancé, now ex, she left behind after finding out he cheated, raising hell and making the proverbial s h ¡ t hit the fan on her way to the altar, where she never got to get, runs and ends up landing in a man's lap, a circumstancial savior with no Romeo bones.
Turns out, Oliver Deubel is her ex-fiancé's biggest rival, a savvy businessman and negotiator seizing an opportunity, THE opportunity to finally get back at Mitchell Atherton, his chance at a revenge long time waiting.

I absolutely loved our protagonists!
Oliver and Eve get along pretty well, even upon his indecent, morally reproachfull offer/ultimatum. I felt they gravitated to each other first, in close quarters due to Eve's obligation as a way the stay in the place she now called home and loved to practice, where Oliver was the shelter and the master planner, second through curiosity, specs of admiration and lust.

The writting is detailled and acurate, flowing steady and direct, distinguishing between a slew of characters of different nationalities that maintained their originality through language, interactions and forms of conviviality. The action is set in the UK and those who were British were very British, in their sarcastic humor, idiomatic expressions and ways of being.

Internally conflicting, we see two people very much attracted to each other, but in a situation where the future is incognito.
Eve accepting her role in Oliver's agenda as his fake girlfriend slash fiancée in a last effort to stay in the Uk, her safe haven from her contrived relationship with her family in the States, but feeling the weight of deceit regarding her friends, co-workers and acquaintances and the sympathetic man holding the key to Oliver's ultimate goal that would make his rival's head roll once and for all. And Oliver's plan that seems to feel less revenge and more like the future he didn't know he needed, the last woman on Earth he expected to want and want to do good by, only her and all she represented.
The gossip column was an ingenious touch and gave body to the intrigue and motion to the story, energetic, realistic and funny, it could be anyone, ourselves even.
And what warmed me up inside was that between Eve and Oliver it was stronger what kept them together that what might keep them apart. They understood each other in their differences, their passions and their life course and, very specially, in their want, desire and abandonment for one another. The guys and Yara with their tips, unsolicited advice and wake-up calls made for a great group of secondaries and even Nora's abrasiveness and Bo's sniffing habits contributed immensely to make this couple completely embeded in one another, so used to each other, the perspective of letting go once it all came to fruition became the incentive Oliver Deubel needed to go any lenght necessary to claim Eve for himself with forever in the horizon.
In his effort to go above and beyond, Oliver forgot that things might get out of control and for somone like Nora, distrustful by nature and suspicious of him since the beginning, it only took a tiny misunderstanding and heads would roll, in this case, Oliver's.
I can comprehend that final act, although I think it was unecessary since Eve was very intuitive and she was sure about the man she came to know, admire and love, but I agree with its importance regarding Lucy and her relationship with Oliver.

All in all it was a feel-good and very entertaining story!

Who is next?

Oliver is no Romeo, but boy, does he grow on you in this book. Eve is amazing too and the two of them as a couple really work. I did really hate the self doubt that Oliver has for himself and that Eve doesn't trust her instincts, but we eventually (and this is a long book) get to the HEA. This is my first book by Donna Alam, but I am excitedly waiting for the book we previewed at the end of this one, No Ordinary Gentleman. Thank you NetGalley and this author for an advanced copy for this 100% honest review.

This runaway-bride, billionaire, ex-fiancé's rival, fake engagement romance is book 1 in the My Kind of Hero series. This book had all of the right ingredients to make a phenomenal read, but sadly, it fell flat for me. I have read many fantastic reviews, so don't take my word for it!
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received an arc through Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was almost a DNF at multiple points throughout the story and I honestly regret that I didn't just drop it. I might be in the minority here, but I just don't think this book is ready for release yet.

First to the positives. I really liked Eve and Oliver. I enjoyed the premise of the runaway bride and the super rich and multi-faceted pretty boy. I also liked that you could get a glimpse into both of their thoughts thanks to the multi POV.

But. And this is a huge "but" which leads us to the negatives. I believe this book could have been great if only it had gone through a few more rounds of editing. Before you riot, let me explain:

Everyone basically has the same character. Everyone is witty, everyone is smart, everyone has a sharp tongue. At multiple points, conversations between two or more characters were so unclear and confusing that I genuinely didn't know who was saying what. It wasn't made clear in the context, and their individual voices were so similar that sometimes you just cannot tell who is supposed to be talking.

Next, I didn't understand Eve's sudden rejection of Oliver. She was the one who wanted a night with him and really pushed him towards it. Then when he comes back and gives her a way to solve all of her problems, she refuses...out of pride, I guess? And later when they have obvious chemistry and obviously want each other, she again refuses because....? I really don't know why. This happens on multiple occasions throughout the book as well. I always felt like I had skipped a few pages that gave reasons for the character's motivations. I assume it was meant to raise the tension, but all it did was to make me feel frustrated with the two.

Also, did you know that the book is called "No Romeo"? Because in case you didn't, the characters remind you every few pages. The first time, I thought it was cute that they said Oliver was no Romeo. But they ended up mentioning that so often that I wanted to throw the book across the room each time I saw those two words. At one point, it actually said "Oliver = no Romeo". Please, did nobody in editing think to have that changed?

These are just some of the things that annoyed and frustrated me. The saddest thing, as I said before, is that I really believe that this book could have been a great read. I just think that all of these things that I mentioned above should have been edited more. All of these are fixable complaints. Maybe my hopes were too high for this book, because I really enjoyed the premise. Or maybe this book just wasn't for me. It wasn't bad per se, it just had too many things that needed fixing in my opinion. If these are things that don't bother you, then you should definitely still give this book a try.

This was a surprise win for me! It is pure and excellent billionaire smut and I loved every second of it (I’m not ashamed!!).

That being said I hate when books repeat the title in the writing and they kept saying “he’s no Romeo” which drove me up the wall. Like it made me cringe.

Imagine the horror when you find out your groom was cheating with your friend on your wedding day. Only to escape into a comedy of errors in the form of the grooms biggest rival, who is also willing to manipulate you. Why does it feel to Evelyn like Ollie is saying one thing but his actions are a whole different bag of surprises??? Why is he allowing me to mess up his perfectly controlled life? Why is he selling a life that cannot be true?

The story 0f Oliver and Evelyn will have you laughing in hilarity, crying in sadness and hoping there is redemption in the form of big love! This is a giant love story that will keep you turning pages well past your bedtime.

Evie, a runaway bride escaping her cheating fiancé, finds herself literally in the arms of Oliver, a British billionaire with a penchant for revenge. Oliver is portrayed as the antithesis of a traditional romantic hero—arrogant, driven by his desire for vengeance against his nemesis, Evie's ex-fiancé. He is tall, dark, and handsome, and very charming when he wants to be. They have an instant undeniable chemistry and that tension is seen throughout the book and its 🔥

Despite Oliver's insistence that he's no hero, Evie begins to see beyond his tough exterior, uncovering a more vulnerable side to him that he struggles to conceal. Can they find genuine love when everything started with conflicting desires, fake dating, and half truths…

This book had me hooked from the very beginning and laughing throughout. It’s fast paced and I would definitely read it again. Plus Bo the dog stole the show!

🖤Dual pov
🖤Witty Banter
🖤Spicy
🖤Morally grey
🖤Fake Dating
🖤Forced proximity
🖤Grumpy/sunshine

Perfect for fans of TL Swan.

One of the first romance books I ever read was Simply Irresistible by Rachel Gibson. So I have a serious soft spot the runaway bride trope.

No Romeo begins with Evie running away from the altar as she is about to marry her cheating fiancé Mitchell after revealing his infidelity in front of everyone. She legs it out of the church and into a random passing car that turns out to be not so random after all.

Our hero Oliver is the billionaire rival of Evie’s ex who is in need of a wife and Evie as it happens is in need of a visa.

I loved Evie’s spirit so much. She wasn’t going to take any shit from her ex. Oliver had some secrets and I found him to be a bit more of a complex character but they had great chemistry together.

Overall a 3.5/5 star read

Loved all of the tropes present in this book; runaway bride, revenge, marriage of convenience. The chemistry between the MCs was undeniable and I loved that their relationship was kinda snarky kinda sweet. It was definitely a spicy read, but I did enjoy it nonetheless. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review!

'Oliver? Go suck my lady dick.'
'I did. We both liked it.'

This was such an off the cuff arc selection for me tbh! I saw the title on Netgalley and as it had the same name as a book by Stevie J. Cole and L. P. Lovell which i love, I decided to just have a quick look at the blurb.

Ended up being intrigued, requesting the arc, and starting it that same evening. And I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed reading this!

Donna is a new author to me, but I liked her writing style from the first page. The characters in this had good individual humour, and had great banter between one another as well. It was definitely more British humour, (the book is set in London), which I much prefer because of the sarcastic wit.

'A toff, Evie... Where'd you pick' im up?'

Howling at this line because it couldn't have been a more accurate description of Oliver 😂 If you've heard the' I'm looking for a guy in finance' tiktok sound then that also fits him too. Oliver would 100% be a rich Tory prick who I hated irl. Yet, in this I couldn't help but be endeared to him, because it's so obvious he was whipped from the get go. Regardless of how much he tried to deny it!

'I want you to set up a call with her. Today.'
'I'll do my best.'
'Which is why the call will be today, Andrew.'

I also really liked Evie's character. She was a great mixture of wit and cuteness. She starts out strong with some very main character energy. Reading from her POV was just as fun as reading from Oliver's. In general, she hates what Oliver represents, but I I can't blame a sister for falling for him. Even after he coerces her into his revenge plan.

'Do you think Mandy would mind if I dashed up there so I could swan my way down? I have the dress for it.'

Definitely glad I picked this one up, and I'm assuming some of the other characters will also be getting books, so I'll be keeping an eye out for them! 4.25*

*ARC received for an honest review.

Oh what a great read. Had me laughing in places. When Eve finds out her fiancé is cheating on her with, gasp, her matron of honor, instead of speaking her wedding vows she reads him the text messages he’s been sending her now ex friend. She then runs landing in the arms of her fiancés arch enemy. In her wedding dress. Talking about jumping out of the pan into the fire!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own, Thank you for allowing me to review

Altar’d Destinies (ha…ha…)

With her own wedding bells still ringing in Evie’s ears, she rushes from the altar and into the lap of her very recent ex-fiance’s biggest rival, Oliver. TLDR at the bottom of this review!

Wedding Itinerary (AKA The Summary):
No Romeo is a enemies-to-lovers (kinda) storyline with a sprinkle of spice, rich-AF men and witty banter. Throughout the almost 500 pages we follow the storyline of what becomes of Evie and Oliver’s relationship (or lack thereof) after she fell into his lap on her wedding day. We get to see this story from both of their perspectives.

Evie is a down to earth veterinarian who does everything from the kindness of her heart. Oliver on the other hand is a prickly business tycoon who does everything for money and scarcely from the kindness of his heart (if he even has one). The book is also sprinkled with side characters such as Evie’s coworkers (and furry clients), Oliver’s business partners and more.

Spiciness was a solid jalapeno pepper (2.5/5). There weren’t as many as I thought there would be throughout a nearly 500 page book. The scenes themselves were decently graphic although nothing to make me shield what I was reading from passerbyers.

Things that made me want to say “I do” to this book (AKA the Pros):
The side characters. Fin, Nora, Yara, and Matt just to name a few were a breath of fresh air from Evie and Oliver’s constant scruples with each other. I found myself enjoying their scenes more often than Evie and Oliver’s.

Things that made me want to leave this book at the altar (AKA the cons):
- The sudden transition at turning points in the book. I understand what the author was going for with the build up of tension after a handful of chapters and for it all to lead to a momentous moment. But when it came to those moments I found myself asking “huh…how did they just completely do a 180???” instead of sighing with relief and being glad that a climax had finally come. I felt like with the book being as long as it was that I shouldn’t have been let down in these moments.
- Things felt too drawn out. I find myself saying this a lot in this review but I don’t think this book had to be as long as it was. Sometimes the witty banter between Evie and Oliver would go on for lines and lines and lines. Same with Oliver and his business partners. It was kind of like when people keep laughing at a joke but the joke becomes unfunny after that person has said it 50 times within the last hour. Going off my previous point, it felt like things were super drawn out and then all of a sudden it was a turning point but it just didn’t hit right.
- It felt hard to keep track of what dialogue belonged to who. I found myself constantly rereading dialogue between the character at times because I could not tell who was talking and then by the time i figured it out I had to reread that whole conversation.


The Send Off (AKA In Conclusion):
It was an OK read. I personally wouldn’t recommend this book to a friend but I don’t regret reading it either. I can tell that the author was going for a long build up and release at points, but it just didn’t hit the spot for me.

If you like the jist of this storyline, I would recommend reading the Miles High series by TL Swan. This book slightly reminded me of those books, and I absolutely loved those!

Thank you to Netgalley and Donna Alam and team for this ARC :)

This was an absolute fun read. Started out really funny with Evie running away from her no good cheating fiancé on the day of her wedding. Evie literally fell into Oliver’s lap. Oliver is very over bearing in a good way. The chemistry is there from the beginning. A few ups, downs and misunderstandings along the way but in the end love wins.

When you escape your own wedding, after outing you ex at the altar, life can only get better! Unfortunately the road isn't always the straightest as we discover in this story.

Donna Alan knows how to weave a story and this book was no disappointment - some spice, enemies to lovers, and a jerk who gets what he deserves!!

When thinking of your happily ever after on your wedding day you don’t think it will be achieved by running from the alter and into the arms of another man - but that’s exactly what Eve does.

After a whirlwind day and night we are then taken on a journey of bribery, temptation and that sweet mix of push/pull, love/hate.

I found this book to be a very slow burn. It was a grower. I wasn’t overly consumed by the story but I did enjoy following Eve and Oliver’s friendship and how it and they both grew together and individually.

I liked the different characters we were introduced to. Especially Oliver’s two friends and Mandy.

I do feel like there was a little oomph missing but that is down to my own personal taste and how I like a story to build.

Overall it was a nice, meet cute read and I would like to follow on the series as I feel there is a lot of potential for other characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this ARC.