This was HOT and such an addictive book, once I started I didn’t want to stop! Ambrose and Cal are a grumpy x sunshine, enemies to lovers, high heat, hell of a good time! He’s a chef, so of course we have a little food play!
Lila Winters and Teddy Hamilton narrate and do a wonderful job bringing the characters to life! The casting is spot on. I definitely recommend giving this a listen.

This isn't a typical romance that I would read, but I enjoyed it. The narrators added so much to the story, and I liked the audio book.

🎧 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 🎧

L.J Shen is a master of her craft. I don’t think I have read a book by her I haven’t loved. She has a way with words that suck you in and completely consume you to the point that you spend days thinking about the book and the characters even after you’ve finished it and Truly Madly Deeply was no exception.

You’ll enjoy this book if you like these tropes… ♡

✿ Small Town Romance
♡ Enemies-to-Lovers
✿ Grumpy/Sunshine
♡ Boss/Employee
✿ Touch Her or Die Vibes
♡ Alpha Hero
✿ Slow Burn
♡ He Falls First
✿ Best Friends Brother
♡ It’s Always Been You
✿ All Her Firsts
♡ Undeniable Attraction
✿ Intense Chemistry
♡ Sassy & Sarcastic Heroine
✿ Emotionally Charged
♡ Forbidden Romance
✿ Bully Romance
♡ Smutty
✿ Top-Tier Banter
♡ He Falls Hard
✿ Dual POV

Trigger Warnings…

⚠ Bullying
⚠ Child Abuse
⚠ Sexual Harassment
⚠ Child Exploitation
⚠ Violence Against Teenager
⚠ Cyber Bullying
⚠ Mention of Overdose
⚠ Androphobia
⚠ Death of a Parent


Truly Madly Deeply is book one in the Forbidden Love series and oh my god it was one hell of a start to the series.

Cal is quirky, she’s been there some hell in her life so she’s a little broken and she finds it hard to trust many people and finds it hard to open up to people too. She’s very independent and has never had to rely on anyone for help. She’s kind, compassionate, and a character you can’t help but fall in love with. She is back in her hometown for the first time in a long time. She’s there to help her grieving mother after her father passed away. While in town and helping her mother through this rough and heartbreaking time, she decides that it’s time she tries to mend an old broken friendship with her former best friend, Dylan. While doing that, she finds herself crossing paths with Dylan’s older brother Ambrose aka Ro again.
Bringing back memories of a night they spent together that meant everything to one person but was just another number to add to their score for the other. Being back in town is the last place she wants to be in but she has no other choice but to grieve and heal from the loss of her father I think this has made her start to heal from the pain and hurt in her past, setting her on a completely different course in her life.

Ambrose is such a tool for everyone. He’s moody and dominant and when he wants something, he gets it. However, he’s a completely different person when it comes to Cal. She brings out another side of him.

After leaving town, Ambrose made a name for himself as an amazing, talented, and famous chef. He also appeared as a reality TV show judge. Now he’s back in his hometown he has opened up a small pop-up restaurant and Cal is the last person he expects to see again but the moment he does, the feelings her had for her and the memories they shared all come rushing back. Will Cal and Ambrose reunite? Or is their past better left in the past? Have they grown and healed from past traumas?

This book took me on one hell of a ride. One minute I was laughing at the sarcastic one-liners and the banter and the next I was wiping tears from my eyes. There was so much to unpack from this story and this love story. This story represented self-worth, insecurities, acceptance, loss, grief, passion, love, vulnerability overcoming past trauma, and facing your fears and setbacks. It was powerful and very relatable to me which was the reason why it grabbed hold of my heart so much. So many of the things these two went through, I have experienced in some way in my life too.

The chemistry between the two was undeniable and intense, to say the least. You could see they were meant to be together and I was rooting for them from the beginning. Ambrose would do anything for Cal. I was swooning.

I think this has taken first place when it comes to my favorite books by this author. I went through so many emotions while reading/listening to this. It was so hard not to love the characters and even the side characters, which I’m hoping we get to see more of!

Highly recommend this!!

5 STARS!

I absolutely love that Row fell first.
I wish he would have said something all those years ago instead of playing it cool. And Dylan didn't tell her BEST FRIEND. That's wild.
Cal was awkward but loveable. I didn't like her so much in the beginning, because she told a loooooot of lies, for no reason.
This book was written for the miscommunication trope, which is not one of my favorites.
I do think some areas could have been improved, like the main characters actually acting their age, but overall I enjoyed the book enough I'd read the sequel.
3.5/5 stars rounded up.

I started to write a synopsis, but it got too messy. I'll just skip over that.

The enjoyed the basic elements of this book. The story, the background, the characters.
I did not enjoy the details.

First the names. All of them, basically. Including the town. (Though there is apparently a town named Staindrop in England.) When Gravity (a human character) entered, I about threw my phone out the window.

Second, the logistics. The math doesn't math most of the time. Row's restaurant alone- who renovates a building and creates a fancy restaurant for a year. And how does this fancy restaurant in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE earn Michelin stars? So many things do not make sense. Including Cal's phobia of men.

There are more examples, but those are the two that really got me.

Lila Winters and Teddy Hamilton narrate the audiobook. Teddy is one of my favorites!

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

💕𝕋𝕣𝕦𝕝𝕪 𝕄𝕒𝕕𝕝𝕪, 𝔻𝕖𝕖𝕡𝕝𝕪 - 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕓𝕚𝕕𝕕𝕖𝕟 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕊𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝟙 - ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨

𝘈𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳: 𝘓.𝘑. 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘯 - @authorljshen

𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦: 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢 “ 𝘊𝘢𝘭” 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘷𝘪𝘯 & 𝘈𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘦 “𝘙𝘰𝘸” 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘢𝘴

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
💕"𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝘼𝙇𝙒𝘼𝙔𝙎 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪"
🫶🏻"𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝘺𝘰𝘶"
💕𝘽𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙'𝙨 𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧
🫶🏻𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴
💕𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙉𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙
🫶🏻"𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪?"
💕𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝙗𝙤𝙨𝙨
🫶🏻𝙂𝙧𝙪𝙢𝙥𝙮 𝙭 𝙎𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚
💕𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝘿!𝙚
🫶🏻"𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴"
💕𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴
🫶🏻𝙃𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩/𝙃𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙃𝘼𝙍𝘿𝙀𝙍
💕𝘚𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦

𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸: 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮, 𝘿𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙮 by 𝙇𝙅 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙣 is another 𝙈𝘼𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙋𝙄𝙀𝘾𝙀! This book 𝙍𝙄𝙋𝙋𝙀𝘿 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 𝙒𝙃𝙊𝙇𝙇𝙔 captivating from the 𝙁𝙄𝙍𝙎𝙏 page! Row and Cal were a 𝙈𝙀𝙎𝙎𝙔 𝙍𝙊𝙈𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀 waiting to happen and I absolutely 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀𝘿 every word, feelings, twist and turn until the words “𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙣𝙙!”

This book kicks off 𝙃𝘼𝙒𝙏 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 𝘿𝙄𝙍𝙏𝙔 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 𝘽𝙐𝙍𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂 emotions between Row, Cal and Dylan upon Cal’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 𝙃𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙎 𝘿𝙊𝙒𝙉 hilariously witty. The way they bolstered each other and leaned on the other during this book showed true friendships and healing - an LJ strength!

𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙮 𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙡𝙮, 𝘿𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙮 is a 𝙎𝙇𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙊𝙒 𝘽𝙐𝙍𝙉 romance with high angst, tension and simmering emotions throughout. Row and Cal are 𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙁𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙇𝙔 𝙄𝙈𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙁𝙀𝘾𝙏 for each other but are also so 𝘽𝙀𝘼𝙐𝙏𝙄𝙁𝙐𝙇𝙇𝙔 𝘽𝙍𝙊𝙆𝙀𝙉 that they both are a little hesitant to get hurt…or epically oblivious and in denial in Cal’s case! LJ created their romance perfectly and in a way that put the emotional turmoil in her other books to shame! Cal’s journey to finding herself and healing her traumas was 𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙂𝙄𝘾𝘼𝙇𝙇𝙔 𝘽𝙀𝘼𝙐𝙏𝙄𝙁𝙐𝙇 to read and it was only elevated with Row’s relentless need to support her, care for her and 𝙊𝘽𝙎𝙀𝙎𝙎𝙄𝙑𝙀𝙇𝙔 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀 her to pieces!

The amount of utter 𝘿𝙀𝙑𝙊𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 Ambrose Casablancas had for Cal shot him to the top of my book boyfriend list and it’s safe to say he is up there competing with another LJ classic - 𝙑𝘼𝙐𝙂𝙃𝙉 𝙎𝙋𝙀𝙉𝘾𝙀𝙍! Row was my character in this book, his 𝘼𝙇𝙋𝙃𝘼𝙃𝙊𝙇𝙀-𝙄𝙎𝙃𝙉𝙀𝙎𝙎 was next level at first but I 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀𝘿 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 𝙐𝙉𝘿𝙔𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀 he had for Cal and I also 𝙇𝙊𝙑𝙀𝘿 all the antagonism they put each other through. LJ however, shined with the enemy vibes between him and Kieran! I 𝘾𝘼𝙉𝙉𝙊𝙏 wait for Kieran’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 𝙧𝙖𝙬, 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩, and 𝙍𝙀𝘼𝙇 but also 𝙐𝙏𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙇𝙔 𝘾𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙄𝙑𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 in a story. She did what she does best and provided us with a new book boyfriend with a 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝, 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 and 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 for his woman that is guaranteed to 𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 in the angsty romance lists! Cal and Row were a romance I’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. - Let’s talk about 𝙏𝘼𝙏𝙀! Can we get his book pretty please, cherry on top? I would love to read all about that man’s built up 𝙏𝙀𝙉𝙎𝙄𝙊𝙉 and 𝙉𝙀𝙀𝘿!)

𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: 100+; 𝘓𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘽𝙇𝙀𝙒 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬! 𝘊𝘢𝘭'𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘸'𝘴 𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝙄𝙈𝙋𝙊𝙎𝙎𝙄𝘽𝙇𝙀 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥!

Cal (Calla Litvin) has been in love with her best friend’s brother, Ro (Ambrose Casablancas) for as long as she can recall…except she doesn’t realize it until she’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 it’s L.J. Shen. Second, I love the grumpy x sunshine and enemies to lovers tropes, in addition to the fact that it’s a standalone in a series. I fell for the MMC so hard…like yes, he’s a major asshole at times, but OMG…he 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 Listener’s Copy (ALC) in exchange for my honest opinion.

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
3.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

This book stands apart from others LJ has written and I loved it! I am a big fan of this author so it’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 don’t even like slow burn but he. Tension was just fantastic! The 90’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 don’t typically love “quirky” 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!

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 fantastic…both narrators had so much emotion and their pacing was impeccable. 3.75 for the book, 4..5 stars for the narrators.

Right from the start I knew Cal was my spirit animal. She was so dorky and awkward that you can’t help but laugh out loud. I don’t even know where to start with Row. He’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 he’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 Dylan’s book. I’m really looking forward to see what Ms. Shen has in story for the rest of the series.

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.

🎧ALC Audiobook Review🎧
Dual Narration by Lila Winters & Teddy Hamilton 🫠
Spice: 3🌶️

What an absolutely delicious story- I devoured this, and licked up every damn crumb. 🍽️ 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 I’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 don’t even get me started on the spice. 🥵 It was plentiful, and highly… 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 🖤🖤

3.5 rounded up. This grumpy vs. grumpier romance follows Calla, who returns to her hometown after her father’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.

i was excited for this one, but it fell flat for me. i really didn’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.

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! 🤤🔥

"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 with—her mom, her old best friend Dylan, and Row, her ex-best friend's older brother, who’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 let’s just say, things get real complicated, real fast. Cal’s character development is spot-on. She’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 it’s awesome to watch. As for Row? He’s always been stuck on Cal, even though he tries hard to forget her. He’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 one’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 “Truly, Madly, Deeply” audiobook was brought to life by Lila Winters and Teddy Hamilton, and they crushed it! Lila nailed it as Cal—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.

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!

This book might work better for me in print than it did in audio. I enjoyed the storyline—enemies to lovers is one of my favorite romance genres—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 name—I’m not a fan of the full version, haha). On the other hand, I didn’t connect as much with Cal, but that could be due to my age. She’s really into the ‘90s, which takes me back to when I graduated high school, so it felt a bit off for me. However, I’m sure other readers will appreciate that aspect. As for the narration, the male narrator was fantastic, but I wasn’t as fond of the female narrator. That’s why I think I might prefer reading the physical book instead of listening to the audiobook.

I’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.

Grumpy chef and his sunshine ex-love interest and new employee was such an amazing combination 😁 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.