I did not enjoy this one as much as I expected. The story felt a bit disjointed and it was hard to keep up with the changes in their relationship. Maybe if it were a dual perspective, some of the actions would make more sense but it just left me feeling like their actions just didn't make a ton of sense. I do like the added suspense of the stalker issue, but I'm not sure it was enough to really redeem this book for me.

3.5 Stars. Thank you for the NetGalley team for allowing me to read and review this arc.

Summary: Raven moves back to her hometown, but her neighbor is a stalker. She gets arrested by the cops, one of them is her bestie's brother whom she has had a crush on forever despite the constant childhood teasing and pranks (obviously). She is forced to move out of her apartment and of course hottie police officer Beau (best friends brother) has an extra room she can stay in. She is crushing on someone at work, but he doesn't do work relationships so naturally she loses her job and he realizes he likes her, right when she starts things up with hottie police officer. She's forced to make a choice, go with her brain or her heart.

Likes: I liked the characters, this was really character driven rather than plot driven. It was cute, quick, and entertaining. I loved the bachelor auction!

Dislikes: None of the characters were well developed. They were all pretty flat, except for Raven. I wish there was a little more exposition maybe? And the whole divorce with pregnant Lauren thing was weird, I think it should've been her to end up winning Mason at the auction, and all in all her plotline just didn't hit for me at all. The writing style was a little choppy and weird as well, like it just didn't flow. I think it could be fixed with a good editor, but I did find myself saying "wait what?" a few times and having to go back to read the paragraph before for clarity. A few plot holes, like Raven's dream to open an Outdoorsy Tour Company for women? Why did that not come to fruition. The prank thing at the end was also lame, but I loved the epilogue. I really just needed more from these characters.

Tropes: Best Friend's Brother, enemies to lovers(ish), stalker, contemporary romance with dark elements, dead parent club, HEA

Spice level: 1/5 (Definitely wish there was more, it would have bumped this to a 4 star for me!)

All in all, if you want a cute quick read that frustrates you, but gives you a HEA, this ones for you!

This book has so much potential, but just fell flat for me. The only intriguing part was the stalker sub-plot.

I wasn’t a fan of these characters. Beau was immature, rightfully so with such a stressful job. But for him being in his late twenties and a homeowner having gamer roommates and being in a band was like he was living his college days. Raven was so caught up in her life changing because of her creepy neighbor she didn’t take her safety as seriously as she should’ve. All in all a cute story of best friend’s brother , childhood enemies to lovers. Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would unfortunately. It felt very chaotic and disjointed. One minute, Raven is obsessed with one guy and in the next page she's forgotten all about him, only to fawn all over him again. The stalker storyline was good and is the reason I finished the book and didn't dnf. The love story between Raven and Beau felt really forced. I didn't feel any chemistry between them and I think that they were really toxic and manipulative with each other.

I'm afraid this book just wasn't for me and I didn't enjoy it.

Tropes:
-forced proximity
-stalker
-roomates
-best friends brother
-single pov
-1st person

Hotheaded Heart is about Raven who is being stalked by her neighbor. After being arrested while defending herself, she has to move in with her best friends brother aka the guy who arrested her. The premise seemed so intriguing and I was really excited to see it all play out but I think for me it fell a bit short.

A big issue was I think the relationship between the main characters fell really immature and toxic. That was frustrating. Also there was so much going on in the book, I felt like if they picked a few less plot points and wrote more about it It would have been more compelling for me.

Overall an ok read.

I was incredibly excited by the premise of Hotheaded Heart by Anna Alkire. The book's description promised a blend of the enemies-to-lovers and best friend's brother tropes, both of which I typically love. Unfortunately, this book turned out to be a huge disappointment for me.

The story centers on Raven and Beau, who were supposedly enemies when they were younger. However, I feel that describing their relationship as ‘enemies-to-lovers’ is incorrect. Rather than true animosity, their past interactions were more about harmless pranks—a way to express their hidden feelings for each other as teenagers. As a result, the transformation from "enemies" to lovers lacked the tension and development I was hoping for.

Both main characters, Raven and Beau, were immature and frustrating. I struggled to understand their connection and felt there was a lack of chemistry between them. Their flirting and banter came off as awkward rather than engaging. The storyline felt rushed and simultaneously stagnant, failing to progress in a meaningful way.

Beau's reaction to Raven wanting to take things slow was another point of frustration for me. Instead of respecting her hesitance and allowing her the space to process, he pressured her continuously, which was annoying.

The thriller and stalker subplot was intriguing. I feel that revealing the stalker’s identity later in the story would have added more suspense and intrigue.

The writing style contributed to the book's difficulties. The dialogue felt short and choppy, and burdened by irrelevant details. The excessive number of side characters made it hard to keep track of who was who, further taking away from the main plot.

Hotheaded Heart had potential with its promising premise, but it ultimately fell flat for me. The immature characters, lack of chemistry, and choppy writing made it a difficult and unsatisfying read. I really wanted to enjoy this book but ended up super disappointed.

Thank you to Anna Alkire, Water’s Edge Publishing LLC and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hot headed heart is a page-turner. With so much drama going on, I had to see how it ended.

What I liked/appreciated:
The tense/thriller element of Raven having a stalker.
That Raven was there for her friend Lauren during the pregnancy and early motherhood. It really showed off her caring side.
Any book where there are animals makes me happy. Loved Bubba and Cheeto.
The relationship between Raven and Beau was not romanticized and felt pretty realistic to how people in real life can behave.

What didn't work for me:
The main relationship was messy. I tend to prefer books that have an underlying current of mutual respect and maturity. I wouldn't have put up with half of the words that came out of Beau's mouth.

While I'm glad I read this book, I don't think I was quite the target audience. I am certain there will be lots of readers that will love Hotheaded Heart.

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review.

2 stars.

Raven has a problem: she has no home and no job. She ends up staying with her best friend's brother Beau. There is interest between them, but Raven wants permanence, a family, a home - Beau is not so much. Raven has had her former colleague Travis in her sights for a long time, and now she's not quite sure what direction to go in. Also, he has a stalker after him.

The plot of this book sounded interesting. Unfortunately, however, the book did not quite meet my expectations. I didn't really like the characters in the book particularly and I didn't really feel the chemistry between them. Also, they were quite immature.

Unfortunately, I had to struggle a bit with this book to finish it. I felt that the plot dragged a bit. However, that doesn't mean that the book can't be a really pleasant read for some.

WHAT TO EXPECT:
* Found family
* Forced proximity
* Hea
* Love Triangle 
* One night stand turned more
* Open doors
* Opposites attract
* Point of view: female MC 1st person
* Small town

3.25 stars. This book is an awesome vacation read, super fast paced and kinda suspenseful because of Raven's stalker. Unfortunately I didn't like the main characters, they're very toxic with each other and they act like teenagers when they're already grown adults. I hated how Beau acted when Raven needed to stay in his apartment because she was going through a lot of things and he just wanted to sleep with her. Anyway, at times I was entertained but overall the main characters made me so angry.

Hotheaded Heart was a so-so read for me. I thought it was pretty long for what it was. I also thought Beau and Raven were pretty immature, even though they weren’t young adults. The book definitely read a bit like NA. I liked the stalker plot line because it gave the book some substance. It wasn’t very spicy at all; the open door scenes were rushed through and had no detail at all. This was a solid three-star read for me.

I received a copy of Hotheaded Heart from NetGalley. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was a little all over the place for me. I thought the main characters fell into a relationship too quickly, especially since she said they were enemies in high school and hadn’t seen each other since. I felt like the author was trying to make the male main character this reformed bad boy, but he came across as immature and unlikable.

I read this book in one day! This book started off fast and hooked me right away! Raven moved back to her home town 6 months ago, but immediately her creepy next door neighbor starts harassing her. One night when he steals her cat, she hits him with a stick from a yard waste bag and gets arrest for assault. Her high school nemesis and best friend's older brother, Beau, is a police officer at the scene. Beau insists Raven move in with him for her safety. I really enjoyed the boy falls first, forced proximity of their relationship, however I did get a little annoyed with how often Raven doubted Beau's intentions when he constantly told her how much he enjoyed spending time with her that he was looking for ward to seeing her. I liked that there were additional plot lines besides the romance with Raven planning a charity auction, Raven's best friend Lauren being pregnant while her husband is deployed and dealing with Raven's stalker. I would definitely recommend this book to others. It is not a slow burn though, so be aware if that's not what you're looking for.

Wasn’t a fan. I really tried my best to like the main characters. I know sometimes some books present a toxic character but both were toxic. And it was too much.

The story of Raven and Beau. He i her best friends older brother, so they have history together. She is back in town and has a stalker, so Beau steps in to help. Found it hard to like the two main characters.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

This story was an interesting mix of too happening and also nothing at all. There was so much going on during the story such as stalking, stabbing and family drama. The two MMC's were very toxic and walking red flags. Therefore their chemistry was difficult to believe. This was a fast paced story but not overall enjoyable.

This is a great summer read. Lauren is a spunky and hardheaded person who is determined to keep going no matter what. Getting arrested for defending herself never crossed her mind and seeing Beau in a uniform was a nice touch. Being stalked by a psycho is absolutely terrifying and she has had enough. Lauren had loved Beau during her teen years and Beau always tormented her. Beau is determined to go after what he has wanted for so many years and he is he is determined to do it all right. Will things be able to calm down and they make it through all the hard times?

"Hotheaded Heart" by Anna Alkire is a novel that, despite its interesting premise, fails in many ways. The two main characters are very toxic, displaying clear warning signs that overshadow any potential chemistry. Their interactions lack the spark and realism needed to engage readers, making their relationship more frustrating than fascinating.

A major issue with the book is the disjointed story. It often feels like key parts were either removed or added without proper context, leaving readers confused and disconnected. This lack of coherence makes the story feel clunky, like watching a poorly adapted play with scenes that lack the depth and flow needed for a compelling novel.

The story also fails to create suspense or intrigue. The protagonist's carefree attitude, despite the chaos around her, removes any tension that might have kept readers interested. Repeated scenes, like the frequent parties at Beau's house, become boring and add little to character development or plot progression.

Character growth is almost non-existent. Both main characters remain immature throughout, showing no significant personal development. This is disappointing, as it gives readers little to root for or connect with emotionally.

On the plus side, the straightforwardness of the book makes it a quick read. However, this simplicity also strips the story of the layers and complexity that could have made it more engaging.

The synopsis promised a journey of self-discovery and true love amidst chaos, but the novel fails to deliver. The potential for a compelling narrative is there, but it remains largely untapped. I had high hopes for Alkire's growth as a writer, but this book did not meet those expectations.

Additionally, despite being advertised as a spicy read, "Hotheaded Heart" falls flat in this area too. On a scale of 1 to 10 for spiciness, it barely registers a 1. The lack of genuine passion and intensity in the romantic scenes is another letdown.

In conclusion, "Hotheaded Heart" was a disappointing read. While it might serve as a brief escape for those looking to momentarily avoid real life, it lacks the depth, intrigue, and character development that make for a truly captivating story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Water's Edge Publishing LLC for sending me the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall this was a fun book with tropes I enjoyed and a writing style that is easy to read. The characters are so lovable and honestly the added plot of Raven’s stalker was such a great twist.