<b> No Romeo: A Riveting Runaway Bride Romance</b>
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐
Heat Level: 🔥🔥
📚E-BOOK📚


"No Romeo" by Donna Alam is my first foray into her works, and it turned out to be a very good read. I received an ARC copy from NetGalley, and I'm glad I took the chance on this book.

The story follows a runaway bride who ends up in the arms of her almost-groom’s rival, Oliver Deubel. With her life in turmoil, she accepts his offer of a deal that seems too good to be true. The flow of the story is well done, and while it occasionally felt a bit lengthy, it never dragged excessively.

Alam's writing captures the perfect balance between scandal and sizzle, making it a delightful light read. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, and the evolving dynamics keep you hooked. If you're looking for a romance that mixes humor, tension, and heartfelt moments, "No Romeo" is a great pick. I definitely recommend it for a fun escape.

I loved it! I loved every little bit of this, especially the banter between the two MC's. It was sweet, and funny , and sexy and just everything that I would expect from Donna Alam. I need to read her other books now, because if they are anything like this one they will be pure gold!

Witty, funny and spicy spicy spicy!!
When your small act of vengeance sends you running and your knight in shining armour is actually a morally grey millionaire with a score to settle.
It's grumpy/sunshine and forced proximity, this book has super hot scenes dispersed amoung great banter and sweet four legged friends in need.

Oliver and Eve are such a fun read. This runaway bride trope takes a new lens and creates a story that will keep you invested. The barbs, shenanigans, animals, and spice all combine to make this a great read.

Overall, this book was pretty ok/good. Like I had a good time, but it wasn’t great.

Basics of the plot, with my commentary thrown in:
Eve finds out her fiancé has been cheating on her the morning of her wedding after she receives some anonymous texts with the evidence of his and the other woman’s (Eve’s maid of honor even though they weren’t really friends??) affair. She reads the texts aloud at the wedding instead of her vows and then runs off and literally falls into the car/lap of her now-ex’s nemesis, Oliver Deubel (whose last name was a little on the nose, but I didn’t hate it).

Said nemesis takes advantage of the opportunity—and Eve’s threatened visa status—and blackmails her into faking a relationship to help with his real estate-based revenge while also paying her for her time, donating heavily to a animal shelter she volunteers with, adopting her favorite shelter dog, letting her live in his swanky hotel rent-free, and buying her anything she wants basically). There’s a viral video of the wedding and the consequences of that somewhere in there. And also of course they fall in love.


What I liked:
- The opening scene was so good. Who wouldn’t want to publicly humiliate a lying, cheating scumbag in front of all his family and friends (and also the internet, when the video goes viral). That opening scene got me into the book.
- The ongoing thread of the gossip rag was fun. It was important to the plot in some parts, like when Oliver got jealous of the photo of Eve and Fin. And also it was a helpful thread when the story sagged a bit in the middle.
- I liked the surrounding characters. Eve and Yara had fun banter. The boys (Oliver, Fin, and Matt) did as well. I lol’d several times.
- Eve’s parents were legit the worst, but believably so, and their scenes were important because it made Eve’s hatred of and generalizations about people with money (despite living a very privileged life herself) mildly more believable.
- Bo (the dog) was my favorite character. He was best boy.
- A safari park??? Get outta town that was so out of left field and kind of perfect.


What didn’t work for me:
- Eve seemed too open-minded to paint every person with money as “bad person.” I mean eat the rich (and she did, lol), but I didn’t buy it fully.
- Why was Riley even a character if we saw so little of him? Wasn’t he supposed to be her best friend?
- We get it. Oliver’s no Romeo. It’s the name of the book. It didn’t need to be repeated so. Many. Times.
- The book slowed down in the middle and made it feel extra long, and I think there were scenes that could have been cut entirely (like the thrift shop), which would’ve helped with pacing.
- The third act conflict didn’t hit for me, because the misunderstanding didn’t make sense, given the characters. Like he didn’t tell her about his sister, ok. And he had a surprise planned with the shelter, ok. But why hadn’t she asked him about the holding company when they were home together after she missed him at his office? Eve is practical and not afraid to speak her mind and she cares a lot about that shelter. It didn’t track for me.
- Why did Eve freak out and leave the country when she JUST GOT HER VISA which was her whole motivation for participating in Oliver’s plan?? Didn’t make sense, even if she was a runner.
- Some of the dialogue in the sex scenes felt a little cringe. But not all of it. It was hit or miss.

Loose end:
- Did we ever find out who sent the anonymous wedding texts? I expected them to be from Oliver, and I think that would have made sense and would’ve been interesting. That feels like a loose end, unless I just missed it.


Anyway, all that said, I liked No Romeo. Even though there were some things that didn’t work for me, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to fans of contemporary rom com revenge plots, fake dating, and billionaire romances. I will also probably read future books in this series, assuming Donna Alam chooses to write them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. 🤍

I'm so thankful to NetGalley for letting me read this book early!

Right at the beginning, the story caught my interest with a great opening scene. It was clear that Donna Alam is a talented writer, just as I hoped from the book's description. It got me really excited to keep reading.

But as I got further into the book, the conversations between characters started to feel a bit dull, which made it tough to stay hooked. Still, for my first-time reading Donna Alam, I felt it was a good experience overall.

If you're looking for a book with funny back-and-forth talk and an interesting story, this one might be just what you need!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book gave me mixed emotions. On the one hand I really wanted to slap the male and tell him to get his act together. The female I wanted to tell her to read the room! Read between the lines and smell the coffee! But in the end, it all worked out for the best. It was cute.

No Romeo is the first book in a new series and let me tell you, Oliver is definitely not a hero! This man is so infuriating at the start of the book, but you can see little hints into the depths of his soul and see that he isn’t always the jerk he displays to everyone.

Oliver and Evie meet by chance and as it turns out they both need each other to achieve more than just revenge! Oliver is quickly attracted to Evie and vice versa. One hot night is all Evie needs but Oliver decides that wasn’t enough.

As Evie and Oliver start to get closer more and more secrets begin to be revealed and Evie has to decide is she can trust Oliver with her heart.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC!

I enjoyed this book-definitely hooked me from the beginning and started out with a bang (pun intended 🤣). The chemistry and banter between the FMC, Eve, and the MMC, Oliver was great. I laughed several times, Eve was so firery and funny! However; I think because the beginning was so fast paced it was hard for me to keep interest throughout the entire book. Overall though it was a quick read and I’d give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars!

thank you to netgalley for providing this arc!!

first and foremost this book completely captured my attention with the opening scene and i must say from that scene alone i could tell that Donna could write. it captures everything i expected from the description of this book and made me so excited to continue.

that being said towards the middle of the book it fell flat in terms of dialogue and as much as i loved the beginning it was hard to continue on. but again overall for my first time reading a Donna Alam book it was very worthwhile.

If you find yourself in desperate need of a book with banter and a good plot, this book might be for you!!

This was a good read with a story that kept you going. It started off a little bit slow for me, but then it really picks up and you are invested in the story. I really enjoyed the relationship and dynamics between the MCs.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC!

I loved this unconventional take on Fake Dating, Billionaire MMC, Runaway Bride/Cancelled wedding romance! The banter was top tier, the FMC had me laughing and engaged the whole time. After leaving her fiancée at the alter, this runaway bride has an unconventional meeting with the Billionaire MMC- who happens to be our ex-fiancée’s sworn enemy.
This book was fast paced, engaging from the beginning with hilarious banter between the main characters and such strong chemistry between them- you couldn’t do anything but root for an HEA.

4.5 stars
This is for me a very funny interesting fake relationship love story. It is a little bit quirky, with some English humor and with a lot of love. I really enjoyed reading it.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgalley

If you love billionaire stories, fake relationships, runaway brides and a fun get back at your ex read, then this is for you. Exciting beginning, which then slowed down but engaging and surprisingly funny

I am so glad I finished this book. The character development was incredible, and the different point of views really gave insight to the thoughts of each character (which I found important for a character as emotionally complex as Oliver).
By the end of this book, I truly enjoyed the special romance between Eve and Oliver! 🩷
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

For some unknown reason I thought that I wasn’t going to like this one but I was wrong.It was well written characters were emotionally mature well developed. Runaway bride and the morally grey hero who unintentionally rescues her is a great trope. He keeps telling her he is not a great guy but she sees underneath all his flaws. It was insta attraction at the beginning then moved into slow burn territory romance. By the end I was rooting for these characters to get their head on straight and go after the one they love.

No Romeo by Donna Alam
Rating: 4/5
Release Date: 6 August 2024

Your wedding day is supposed to be the happiest day of your life, not the day you uncover your fiancé's betrayal.

When Evie flees, she finds herself seeking solace in the company of her ex's sworn rival, Oliver Deubel. Oliver is undeniably arrogant, demanding, and infuriatingly irresistible.

Tropes:
👭🏼Fake Dating 
💰Billionaire MMC 
🐶Businessman×Vet
👰‍♀️Cancelled Wedding

This one grabbed me right away. I loved the unconventional meeting between Evelyn and Oliver, and the chemistry between them was electric.

However, I had some issues with the pacing. The beginning was very fast-paced, but then it slowed down significantly, making it hard for me to stay engaged. While I appreciate a slow-burn romance, the shift in tempo after such an explosive start left me losing interest at times.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Montlake, and the author, Donna Alam, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Know lucy won't be problem, she always sound out of plot even when mentioned , Nora annoyed me 🙄 Mitchell cheated on Evelyn multiple times last with birdsmaid jen and he lied a lot like when he owns a building but didn't tell , there is a dog name Mr bo( love his interactions with oliver specially waking up besides him or licking his bum 👍🏻buddy)and I don't like Evelyn mothe ( seems like ignorant) but love Matt and phin specially Matt save in Kensington palace where he saved eve from Mitchell don't like Riley eve platonic friend too sound too lose even when doing nothing , but love the book in general....

This one hooked me pretty quickly. I loved Evelyn and Oliver’s unconventional meeting and the chemistry between the two of them was on fire. My only issue was with the pacing. The beginning felt very fast paced and then it just fell into a bit of a lull. I appreciate a slow burn romance with the rest but after such an explosive start found myself losing interest at times.

An enjoyable book just needed better pacing for me!

If a good rom-com and a slightly dark romance book has a baby...it would be this book

Our billionaire MMC Oliver Deubel gets what he wants, when he wants through any means...and he wants our vet FMC Evie 😏 to get his revenge and upper hand in a business dealing,✨and he goes slightly unhinged to get her ✨ well...not so slightly 🤭

And Evie is a strong and sassy woman who throws back everything Oliver delivers ✨

We have an amazing book with good plot, characters you'll love , banter to die for 😼

Spice: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story:⭐⭐⭐⭐
Comedy: ⭐⭐⭐

Tropes:
Fake dating
Billionaire MMC
Businessman×Vet
Strong,sassy FMC
Amazing side characters
Mr.Bo
Animal lovers

Hoping to get Fin and Matt's books soon🤞🏻
Thank you NetGalley and Author Donna Alam for the ARC in exchange for my honest review 💕