Member Reviews

๐Ÿ’•๐•‹๐•ฃ๐•ฆ๐•๐•ช ๐•„๐•’๐••๐•๐•ช, ๐”ป๐•–๐•–๐•ก๐•๐•ช - ๐”ฝ๐• ๐•ฃ๐•“๐•š๐••๐••๐•–๐•Ÿ ๐•ƒ๐• ๐•ง๐•– ๐•Š๐•–๐•ฃ๐•š๐•–๐•ค ๐Ÿ™ - โ„๐•–๐•ง๐•š๐•–๐•จ

๐˜ˆ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ: ๐˜“.๐˜‘. ๐˜š๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ - @authorljshen

๐˜Š๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ฑ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ: ๐˜Š๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ข โ€œ ๐˜Š๐˜ข๐˜ญโ€ ๐˜“๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ฏ & ๐˜ˆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฃ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ โ€œ๐˜™๐˜ฐ๐˜ธโ€ ๐˜Š๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ด

๐˜›๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด:
๐Ÿ’•"๐™„๐™ฉ'๐™จ ๐˜ผ๐™‡๐™’๐˜ผ๐™”๐™Ž ๐™—๐™š๐™š๐™ฃ ๐™ฎ๐™ค๐™ช"
๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป"๐˜š๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ'๐˜ด ๐™‰๐™Š๐™ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ"
๐Ÿ’•๐˜ฝ๐™š๐™จ๐™ฉ ๐™›๐™ง๐™ž๐™š๐™ฃ๐™™'๐™จ ๐™ค๐™ก๐™™๐™š๐™ง ๐™—๐™ง๐™ค๐™ฉ๐™๐™š๐™ง
๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป๐˜Œ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด
๐Ÿ’•๐™Š๐™ฃ๐™š ๐™‰๐™ž๐™œ๐™๐™ฉ ๐™Ž๐™ฉ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™
๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป"๐™’๐™๐™ค ๐™™๐™ž๐™™ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™ž๐™จ ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™ฎ๐™ค๐™ช?"
๐Ÿ’•๐˜๐˜ฆ'๐˜ด ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ ๐™—๐™ค๐™จ๐™จ
๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป๐™‚๐™ง๐™ช๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ฎ ๐™ญ ๐™Ž๐™ช๐™ฃ๐™จ๐™๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™š
๐Ÿ’•๐™๐™ค๐™ช๐™˜๐™ ๐™๐™š๐™ง ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐˜ฟ!๐™š
๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป"๐˜‘๐˜ถ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ข๐˜บ๐˜ด"
๐Ÿ’•๐˜Š๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ๐˜ด
๐Ÿซถ๐Ÿป๐™ƒ๐™š ๐™›๐™–๐™ก๐™ก๐™จ ๐™›๐™ž๐™ง๐™จ๐™ฉ/๐™ƒ๐™š ๐™›๐™–๐™ก๐™ก๐™จ ๐™ƒ๐˜ผ๐™๐˜ฟ๐™€๐™
๐Ÿ’•๐˜š๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ

๐˜™๐˜ฆ๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ธ: ๐™๐™ง๐™ช๐™ก๐™ฎ ๐™ˆ๐™–๐™™๐™ก๐™ฎ, ๐˜ฟ๐™š๐™š๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™ฎ by ๐™‡๐™… ๐™Ž๐™๐™š๐™ฃ is another ๐™ˆ๐˜ผ๐™Ž๐™๐™€๐™๐™‹๐™„๐™€๐˜พ๐™€! This book ๐™๐™„๐™‹๐™‹๐™€๐˜ฟ my heart out, stomped on it and then gradually taped it back together in ways only Leigh is able to do and Cal and Row will be one of my favorite angsty couples for months if not years to come! This book was a lot different than what LJ normally writes but was also ๐™’๐™ƒ๐™Š๐™‡๐™‡๐™” captivating from the ๐™๐™„๐™๐™Ž๐™ page! Row and Cal were a ๐™ˆ๐™€๐™Ž๐™Ž๐™” ๐™๐™Š๐™ˆ๐˜ผ๐™‰๐˜พ๐™€ waiting to happen and I absolutely ๐™‡๐™Š๐™‘๐™€๐˜ฟ every word, feelings, twist and turn until the words โ€œ๐™๐™๐™š ๐™€๐™ฃ๐™™!โ€

This book kicks off ๐™ƒ๐˜ผ๐™’๐™ and the tension between the two MCs only grows as the book goes on! LJ immediately dove into the heat between a younger Cal and Row but then did us ๐˜ฟ๐™„๐™๐™๐™” with the tragic breaking up of two best friends. The emotions she portrayed in that first chapter alone sucked me into this book and they was she was able to capitalize on the ๐˜ฝ๐™๐™๐™‰๐™„๐™‰๐™‚ emotions between Row, Cal and Dylan upon Calโ€™s return home years later kept me reading to see what would happen between the two. While the romance in this book was swoon-level good, the friendship between Cal and Dylan was really one of my favorite parts in this book! The two of these women were ๐™ƒ๐˜ผ๐™‰๐˜ฟ๐™Ž ๐˜ฟ๐™Š๐™’๐™‰ hilariously witty. The way they bolstered each other and leaned on the other during this book showed true friendships and healing - an LJ strength!

๐™๐™ง๐™ช๐™ก๐™ฎ ๐™ˆ๐™–๐™™๐™ก๐™ฎ, ๐˜ฟ๐™š๐™š๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™ฎ is a ๐™Ž๐™‡๐™Š๐™Š๐™Š๐™Š๐™’ ๐˜ฝ๐™๐™๐™‰ romance with high angst, tension and simmering emotions throughout. Row and Cal are ๐™‹๐™€๐™๐™๐™€๐˜พ๐™๐™‡๐™” ๐™„๐™ˆ๐™‹๐™€๐™๐™๐™€๐˜พ๐™ for each other but are also so ๐˜ฝ๐™€๐˜ผ๐™๐™๐™„๐™๐™๐™‡๐™‡๐™” ๐˜ฝ๐™๐™Š๐™†๐™€๐™‰ that they both are a little hesitant to get hurtโ€ฆor epically oblivious and in denial in Calโ€™s case! LJ created their romance perfectly and in a way that put the emotional turmoil in her other books to shame! Calโ€™s journey to finding herself and healing her traumas was ๐™๐™๐˜ผ๐™‚๐™„๐˜พ๐˜ผ๐™‡๐™‡๐™” ๐˜ฝ๐™€๐˜ผ๐™๐™๐™„๐™๐™๐™‡ to read and it was only elevated with Rowโ€™s relentless need to support her, care for her and ๐™Š๐˜ฝ๐™Ž๐™€๐™Ž๐™Ž๐™„๐™‘๐™€๐™‡๐™” ๐™‡๐™Š๐™‘๐™€ her to pieces!

The amount of utter ๐˜ฟ๐™€๐™‘๐™Š๐™๐™„๐™Š๐™‰ Ambrose Casablancas had for Cal shot him to the top of my book boyfriend list and itโ€™s safe to say he is up there competing with another LJ classic - ๐™‘๐˜ผ๐™๐™‚๐™ƒ๐™‰ ๐™Ž๐™‹๐™€๐™‰๐˜พ๐™€๐™! Row was my character in this book, his ๐˜ผ๐™‡๐™‹๐™ƒ๐˜ผ๐™ƒ๐™Š๐™‡๐™€-๐™„๐™Ž๐™ƒ๐™‰๐™€๐™Ž๐™Ž was next level at first but I ๐™‡๐™Š๐™‘๐™€๐˜ฟ his snark and personality all the way through! His banter and friendship with Rhyland kept things entertaining since Rhyland gave his sh*t for all the pent up feelings and ๐™๐™‰๐˜ฟ๐™”๐™„๐™‰๐™‚ ๐™‡๐™Š๐™‘๐™€ he had for Cal and I also ๐™‡๐™Š๐™‘๐™€๐˜ฟ all the antagonism they put each other through. LJ however, shined with the enemy vibes between him and Kieran! I ๐˜พ๐˜ผ๐™‰๐™‰๐™Š๐™ wait for Kieranโ€™s book, if only to see Row go postal about his sister falling in love!

Overall, this book was 568 pages of lust, angst, turmoil and learning to love yourself. Leigh wrote a beautiful book full of characters that are ๐™ง๐™–๐™ฌ, ๐™๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™š๐™จ๐™ฉ, and ๐™๐™€๐˜ผ๐™‡ but also ๐™๐™๐™๐™€๐™๐™‡๐™” ๐˜พ๐˜ผ๐™‹๐™๐™„๐™‘๐˜ผ๐™๐™„๐™‰๐™‚ in a story. She did what she does best and provided us with a new book boyfriend with a ๐™™๐™ž๐™ง๐™ฉ๐™ฎ ๐™ข๐™ค๐™ช๐™ฉ๐™, ๐™ฅ๐™ค๐™จ๐™จ๐™š๐™จ๐™จ๐™ž๐™ซ๐™š ๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™ง๐™š๐™–๐™  and ๐™ช๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™™๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™–๐™ก ๐™ก๐™ค๐™ซ๐™š for his woman that is guaranteed to ๐™ฉ๐™ค๐™ฅ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™˜๐™๐™–๐™ง๐™ฉ๐™จ in the angsty romance lists! Cal and Row were a romance Iโ€™ll be revisiting and one that left me satisfied but wanting more of both them and the other wonderful characters Leigh introduced in this series so far!

(P.S. - Letโ€™s talk about ๐™๐˜ผ๐™๐™€! Can we get his book pretty please, cherry on top? I would love to read all about that manโ€™s built up ๐™๐™€๐™‰๐™Ž๐™„๐™Š๐™‰ and ๐™‰๐™€๐™€๐˜ฟ!)

๐˜™๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ: 100+; ๐˜“๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜จ๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฝ๐™‡๐™€๐™’ ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฌ! ๐˜Š๐˜ข๐˜ญ'๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜™๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ'๐˜ด ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ง๐˜ข๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ญ๐˜บ, ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฃ๐˜ช๐˜ฅ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ท๐˜ฆ, ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ค๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฎ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ญ๐˜ง ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ด ๐™„๐™ˆ๐™‹๐™Š๐™Ž๐™Ž๐™„๐˜ฝ๐™‡๐™€ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ฑ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ฏ ๐˜ถ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ญ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ!

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Cal (Calla Litvin) has been in love with her best friendโ€™s brother, Ro (Ambrose Casablancas) for as long as she can recallโ€ฆexcept she doesnโ€™t realize it until sheโ€™s in her early twenties. Ro has been madly in love with Cal since the moment he laid eyes on her, but his heart begins to break when he realizes she may not love him back. With an upcoming major life change, can Cal and Ro figure out that they are destined to be together?

First of all, I was gravitated toward this book because itโ€™s L.J. Shen. Second, I love the grumpy x sunshine and enemies to lovers tropes, in addition to the fact that itโ€™s a standalone in a series. I fell for the MMC so hardโ€ฆlike yes, heโ€™s a major asshole at times, but OMGโ€ฆhe is so fiercely in love with Cal and will do anything for her, even help her fight her demons. *swoon* I cannot wait to read more by this author and more in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and DreamScape Media for the opportunity to listen to an Advanced Listenerโ€™s Copy (ALC) in exchange for my honest opinion.

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5/5 โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
3.5/5 ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ๐ŸŒถ๏ธ

This book stands apart from others LJ has written and I loved it! I am a big fan of this author so itโ€™s fun to see her try something different and just win at it! There is the angst we love from her present her with a sit of a slow burn on the romance. Listen, I donโ€™t even like slow burn but he. Tension was just fantastic! The 90โ€™s tid bits and nostalgia were such a good addition as well!

I loved Row Casablancas! He was so swoon and OTT obsessed with Cal. The was he held a torch for her just had me down bad! His journey in this story was so beautiful! His ambition and drive was sexy. We love a successful man but we love to see MMC really pining! Omg and does he! So damn hot!

Cal was quirky but in the best way! I donโ€™t typically love โ€œquirkyโ€ but something about her just captured my heart! I felt for her and laughed with her. Sometimes I did want to shake her but only because I loved the way Row loved her and she deserved to experience it without hesitation.

This book rightfully got 3.5 peppers from me! It was hot, hot, hot when the spark fly! Cal was a very, very lucky woman! And so am I because I had the audiobook which was fantastic! Teddy Hamilton and Lila Winters did an amazing job bringing this one to life!

I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to more from this new world!

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I like when the guy falls hard, is closeted to admit it out loud, yet his secretive actions prove his love. Ro and Ca have known each other since high school-he was even her first-and connect again once Cal returns back to their hometown. Although I found the plot line to be dragging some and one spicy scene a bit out of the norm and uncomfortable, overall, the story was a good open-door romance told in dual, first person PoV. I listened to this on audio and I really enjoyed it, the dual narration was fantasticโ€ฆboth narrators had so much emotion and their pacing was impeccable. 3.75 for the book, 4..5 stars for the narrators.

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Right from the start I knew Cal was my spirit animal. She was so dorky and awkward that you canโ€™t help but laugh out loud. I donโ€™t even know where to start with Row. Heโ€™s a grumpy pants hot billionaire chef. The banter between these two is comical. I absolutely love Row and the fact that while he can be a total ass to everyone, we see his softer side when heโ€™s around Cal. These two know actions speak louder than words and the way they choose to show their love for each other brought a huge smile to my face. I devoured the audiobook in no time. Such a great cast. I cannot wait for Dylanโ€™s book. Iโ€™m really looking forward to see what Ms. Shen has in story for the rest of the series.

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All the feels and angst wrapped up in this audio. Cal is back in town to help her mother recover from a loss and as they are both healing she needs a job. Row is a star chef and TV personality, a judge of cooking shows, and when she finds out his newest local restaurant has an opening she applies for a job. These two hooked up years ago before she left town and now he does not want her on his turf. Oh my, bring the banter to a whole new level. Then they bring the steam. Will it last or will it fizzle. This one was so good. I cannot wait to see where this series progresses.

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๐ŸŽงALC Audiobook Review๐ŸŽง
Dual Narration by Lila Winters & Teddy Hamilton ๐Ÿซ 
Spice: 3๐ŸŒถ๏ธ

What an absolutely delicious story- I devoured this, and licked up every damn crumb. ๐Ÿฝ๏ธ LJ Shen is fast becoming one of my go-to authors, when I need something spicy, funny, and well written.

This was one of the most entertaining audiobooks Iโ€™ve ever listened to, due in no small part to the expertly executed grumpy x sunshine trope, and the perfect dual narration by Lila & Teddy. They each played their parts beautifully, seamlessly navigating between the various characters. I was completely sucked in from the very first chapter, to that beautiful poignant ending.

There was god tier banter, emotional depth, character development, and lots and lots of dry humor. I was blown away by the comedic timing of both narrators.
And donโ€™t even get me started on the spice. ๐Ÿฅต It was plentiful, and highlyโ€ฆ creative. I will never be able to look at my kitchen counter, a certain vegetable, and at least one variety of Christmas candy, the same ever again.

10/10 recommend ๐Ÿ–ค๐Ÿ–ค

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3.5 rounded up. This grumpy vs. grumpier romance follows Calla, who returns to her hometown after her fatherโ€™s death and unexpectedly works for her former fling, Row, a now-famous chef who holds a grudge against her. The story features classic tropes, such as an anonymous online relationship that predictably involves Row. Still, it drags as both characters dwell too long on their inability to be together. While the plot had potential, it felt slow at times. Narration-wise, I wasn't a fan of Teddy Hamilton's performance, which lacked the depth needed for Row (It should've been Sebastian York). Still, I adore Lila Winters, one of my favorites, and she is fantastic at delivering an emotional and engaging portrayal of Calla, even when the character leans toward being a bit dreary.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ALC for an honest review.

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i was excited for this one, but it fell flat for me. i really didnโ€™t particularly like either of the main characters which made this one hard for me to get through. it was also a bit longer and dragged out more than it needed to be.

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L.J. has become one of my favorites with this book. The banter is amazing. It had me giggling and twirling my hair around my fingers. Ambrose Rhett is definitely swoon worthy. The LITERAL MOUTH on that man, my lawwwdddds! ๐Ÿคค๐Ÿ”ฅ

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"Truly, Madly, Deeply" by L.J. Shen kicks off the Forbidden Love series with a bang. When Cal returns to her hometown after the loss of her father, she's got a lot to deal withโ€”her mom, her old best friend Dylan, and Row, her ex-best friend's older brother, whoโ€™s now a Michelin-starred chef. Cal's got her reasons for avoiding men, but Row was the only one who ever made her feel safe, even though now he can't stand her.

Cal ends up working for Row at his pop-up restaurant, and letโ€™s just say, things get real complicated, real fast. Calโ€™s character development is spot-on. Sheโ€™s shy, quirky, and dealing with major trust issues stemming from a rough high school experience. But she grows so much throughout the book, and itโ€™s awesome to watch. As for Row? Heโ€™s always been stuck on Cal, even though he tries hard to forget her. Heโ€™s got that whole alpha-hole vibe going, pushing her away while still protecting her and being unable to shake her from his thoughts. And that kitchen scene? Yeah, that oneโ€™s staying with me forever.

If you're into romance with serious spice, drama, and some intense tension, "Truly, Madly, Deeply" is a must-read. Add it to your list ASAP!

The โ€œTruly, Madly, Deeplyโ€ audiobook was brought to life by Lila Winters and Teddy Hamilton, and they crushed it! Lila nailed it as Calโ€”I could totally feel her past trauma and the emotional journey of her relationship with Row. Teddy Hamilton as Row? All the grumpiness, all the spice, and everything he went through came through perfectly. But honestly, the banter was the best part! It had me cracking up and was the perfect balance to the more emotional moments. Such a fun listen!

Thank you to @authorljshen and @dreamscape_media for the #gifted audiobook for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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This book was cooking something hot! The narrators did an excellent job and it was a really good book to listen to! The story itself is really cute and I love how the male main character has been pining for the female main character! I will say the major conflict in this was a little cheesy for my taste but still a great book!

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This book might work better for me in print than it did in audio. I enjoyed the storylineโ€”enemies to lovers is one of my favorite romance genresโ€”and it was easy to stay engaged because everything felt well-developed without being overly detailed. I absolutely loved Row (big thanks to the author for shortening his nameโ€”Iโ€™m not a fan of the full version, haha). On the other hand, I didnโ€™t connect as much with Cal, but that could be due to my age. Sheโ€™s really into the โ€˜90s, which takes me back to when I graduated high school, so it felt a bit off for me. However, Iโ€™m sure other readers will appreciate that aspect. As for the narration, the male narrator was fantastic, but I wasnโ€™t as fond of the female narrator. Thatโ€™s why I think I might prefer reading the physical book instead of listening to the audiobook.

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Iโ€™m going to be honest, I had such super high expectations for this book being my first by the author, that I probably hurt my own feelings. It was still a good romance! I just kind of wanted more.

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Grumpy chef and his sunshine ex-love interest and new employee was such an amazing combination ๐Ÿ˜ i enjoyed listening to each chapter of this book.
This is my first read from the author's work yet I absolutely loved and enjoyed reading this. Plus the voice of the voice actors added more charm to the plotline. Overall it was a brilliant grumpy sunshine lovestory.

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Truly Madly Deeply delivers on the darker elements of romance, with trauma woven deeply into the plot and backstories. Before diving in, Iโ€™d recommend checking out the content warnings. While the exploration of Cal and Rowโ€™s trauma is central, I found the pacing a bit slow, and the backstory reveals didnโ€™t add the depth I hoped for. The miscommunication between the characters felt drawn out, and I didnโ€™t quite get the emotional resolution I was expecting.

On a lighter note, I loved the 90โ€™s nostalgia with song titles kicking off each chapter and the added text threads.

Lila Wintersโ€™ narration was the highlight! She did an amazing job bringing these characters to life and really carried the book for me. Teddy sounded older than the character should have been. It kept throwing me out of the story.

Overall, Truly Madly Deeply offers a heavy, emotionally intense read that fans of dark romance may appreciate. While it wasnโ€™t exactly what I hoped for, L.J. Shenโ€™s exploration of deep themes and Wintersโ€™ stellar narration will resonate with readers who love this genre.

๐Ÿ’– Tropes:
Best Friendโ€™s Brotherโ€จ
Only Eyes for Youโ€จ
Touch Her and ๐Ÿ’€โ€จ
Boss x Employeeโ€จ
Small Town

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๐Ÿ‘ŸBest Friend's Brother
๐Ÿ‘ŸEnemies-to-Lovers
๐Ÿ‘ŸGrumpy/Sunshine
๐Ÿ‘ŸSecond Chance
๐Ÿ‘ŸBoy Obsessed
๐Ÿ‘ŸBillionaire Romance
๐Ÿ‘ŸTouch her & ๐Ÿ”ช
.
โ€œHeaven is not a place, it is a person, and it is you.โ€
.
Review: First off, let me just say that LJ Shen is one of my favorite authors! I absolutely love her books. I was so excited when Truly Madly Deeply was announced! I absolutely love the Best Friend's Brother + Boy Obsessed tropes. Pretty much, my kryptonite! Absolute chef's kiss! This is book 1 in LJ's new Forbidden Love series, and it was such a perfect start!

Calla (Cal) Litvin is the quirky girl who loves the 90's and true crime. Ambrose (Row) Casablancas is a famous chef who hates everyone, but his sister, his mom and one other person. This broody chef only has eyes for one. The infuriating, best friend, of his little sister. The banter and tension between these two was ๐Ÿ”ฅ! Row has it down BAD for Cal and I freaking LOVED IT! The way this man protects her, but also encourages her to spread her wings is truly beautiful! I could connect with Cal on a few different levels. I often just wanted to hug her and tell her it's ok, take the leap... it's worth the risk! I do have to say Row's chapters were my favorite. I love his internal dialog!๐Ÿคฃ Row is a grumpy, obsessed masterpiece, and I am soooo here for it!The mouth on this man is literal perfection. He would be the grumpy to my sunshine perfectly! ๐Ÿ˜‚ I loved the character growth that Cal went through and when everything finally clicked for her. Row truly was the perfect man for her. These two complement each other so well.

โ€œAm I your girl?โ€
โ€œNo.โ€ He shook his head.
โ€œYouโ€™re my everything.โ€

I absolutely loved the side characters and I REALLY hope they each get a story. Dylan needs to get an HEA, like now!๐Ÿคญ Then there is Rhyland and Taylor! I NEED their stories too!๐Ÿ˜๐ŸคžI listened to the audiobook by Teddy Hamilton and Lila Winters. Lila was new for me, but she did great as Cal. They both did a great job of bringing these two to life! I am so excited for more of this new world!

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I love a good spicy romance where our characters argue or dislike each other to start. Though in this they actually both really like each other and are kind of just fighting with themselves and their own feelings of doubt which made for an even better story. You get see someone who feels powerless earn their power back all while finding their forever.

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Story Rating: โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ (0-5)
Narration: ๐ŸŽง๐ŸŽง๐ŸŽง๐ŸŽง๐ŸŽง (0-5)
Overall: 4.5/5
Steam: ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ (0-5) I bump up for public places/outdoor spaces.

What Iโ€™m Starry-Eyed Over:
๐Ÿคฉ Teddy Hamilton does the mean, rude, abrasive vibes of Ambrose (Row) Casablancas so well.
๐Ÿคฉ The feels are so strong, but weird, because the longing is deep but I also kind of dislike Row at times because of his strong personality.
๐Ÿคฉ Cal is laugh-out-loud hilariousโ€”I just love her quirky, no-nonsense personality. And Lila Winters performs her so amazingly.
๐Ÿคฉ Such beautiful writing with gorgeous descriptions and details. I feel like Iโ€™m there, immersed in all the scenes and activities.
๐Ÿคฉ Best friendโ€™s brother, then and now, her first time.
๐Ÿคฉ Great (and frustrating) small-town plot.
๐Ÿคฉ Boy obsessedโ€”itโ€™s always been you.
๐Ÿคฉ The actually horrible enemies-to-lovers banter
๐Ÿคฉ That need to knowโ€”what her trauma is, why they are enemies.
๐Ÿคฉ When I highlight full pages because itโ€™s so hot and beautiful and amazing.
๐Ÿคฉ The online chats in Androphobes Anonymous forum, with secret identity, are fantastic and give some comedic and friendly relief to all the other negative vibes.
๐Ÿคฉ Slow burn to smokinโ€™ hot, such great chemistry.

What Iโ€™m Wishing/Dizzy About:
๐Ÿ’ซ Waiting for a Row POV chapter, for Teddy to come in. And, kind of wanting more Row chapters because Teddy!!
๐Ÿ’ซ Some therapy would have made me better believe in their HEA.
๐Ÿ’ซ I like a little steamy goodness after the drama/time apart.
๐Ÿ’ซ Kieranโ€”I love him and need more of him!

Cautionโ€”Trigger Warnings: child abuse, bullying, group assault (flashbacks on page).

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This book hits a few of my favorite tropes: Grumpy/sunshine, enemies to lovers, second chance, and he falls first. I mean, Row is literally obsessed with Cal to the point that he's willing to risk her destroying him again just to get a little part of her. To me, despite her obvious ptsd and anxiety issues, Cal was so extremely oblivious of his feelings that I just wanted to shake her and send her to counseling lol. Anyway, there was great tension, fun banter, and lots of emotions in this book as the two learned to trust each other again. I will never look at candy canes and zucchini the same way again ๐Ÿ˜ณ I'm excited to find out what happens with Dylan and Kieran next.
I listened to the audiobook version and the narrators were great. Their voices carried all the emotion and they were clear and easy to understand. They made the characters come alive.

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