A list of the reasons I love and enjoyed reading this book

Best friends older brother, it’s just very hot
He’s a chef.
The amazing curated song selections as chapter headings, this is the the first playlist from a book that I’ve actually listened to
The creation of Cal and Ro because I love them.
It has everything I love from an LJ Shen book.

LJ has a way of pulling you into her stories and being able to listen to this one, I felt immersed in Stain Drop and Calla and Ro’s story.

The narrators were great! I loved the dual pov and seeing things from both perspectives. I also loved Dylan and can’t wait for her book! She’s feisty and I know it’ll be good.

Calla’s trauma was handled well imo and I loved how Ro helped her deal with and stand up to her past. I also loved for grumpy Ro was (very typical LJ and I loved it!!) and how he was only soft for Cal (and his mom and sister of course).

⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

I enjoyed this book. I’m not sure if I clicked with the narrators, so I struggled to just listen, but I started listening while I read, and it was better. However, this book was too long, with too many side plots. I typically love a best friends brother trope, and while I enjoyed the angst and most of the spicy scenes (the kitchen scene, I’m sorry, WHAT?!, blocking from my memory), I could have lived without one or 2 of the side plots.

This book was alright but the narration was perfection.

I loved Teddy Hamilton's narration so much. He has the perfect voice for this kind of character and he truly delivered for Ro.

I also enjoyed Lila Winter's voice for Cal. She did a great job.

For the story itself... I wasn't the biggest fan. But before that, I will say something nice. I liked that Cal came home for her mom and stuck around to make sure she was ok. Her hometown is a place of major anxiety for her so I appreciated this. I also like the very sweet think Ro did for Cal at the end of the book but I will not be spoiling that for anyone reading this.

Ok, on to the review...

Let's start with our love interest.

I found that Ro was unnecessarily aggressive about every little thing and it got pretty aggravating. It made for a lot of miscommunication and a love interest that is hardly tolerable. He claims to be in love with Cal but then turns around is a total jerk to her. I think that Cal forgave him too easily along with his sister Dylan. She was horrible to Cal and it took until Cal's father died for her to let up and stop being a bully towards her.

I think all the characters in this book are deeply flawed and that's ok but I just wish there were more redeeming qualities about them so that they were more likable.

One other thing that irked me was that Cal is constantly convincing herself that she is a terrible person to love and Dylan validated that idea over and over again right to her face. I thought that was so messed up and it makes me unable to root for Dylan at all.

As I'm thinking more and more about this I keep thinking of things that just didn't sit right with me. Like how Cal was supposedly obsessed with true crime to the point that she wants to start a podcast about it yet she barely talks about it. More time should have been spent exploring this career path.

Another thing is that Cal has a fear of men but for some reason she trusts Ro inexplicably despite him being a total douche and treating her like garbage for years and years after the incident occurred. I wish there was time spent with him slowly earning back her trust instead of her just blindly accepting him as a good guy when clearly, he's not.

I think this book would benefit from some rewrites mainly focusing on character development.

Overall, I rated this a 2.5/5

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

**A Sizzling Romance That Captivates**

I absolutely devoured this audiobook! LJ Shen weaves a fiery, emotional romance between Ambrose Casablancas and Calla Litvin that left me breathless. Ambrose, the conceited and enigmatic chef, and Calla, the quirky and compassionate sunshine, create a delicious tension that’s impossible to resist. The storyline masterfully balances passion, humor, and vulnerability, making their journey from antagonistic tension to explosive chemistry incredibly satisfying.

The narration by Lila Winters and Teddy Hamilton was fantastic. Teddy Hamilton, my favorite, brought Ambrose to life with his deep, commanding voice, perfectly embodying the brooding chef. While I enjoyed the narration, I do wish it had been read as a duet, considering how little Row has his own chapters. A duet performance would have added even more depth to the character dynamics and heightened the already electric atmosphere.

Overall, "Truly Madly Deeply" is a must-listen for anyone craving a heartfelt, intense romance. Ambrose and Calla's story is one you'll want to revisit time and again!

3.75⭐, 3.75🌶️

So my overall review of the book is while I generally enjoyed it and thought the premise was cute, I felt myself critiquing it a lot as I listened, and that kept bringing me out of the fun vibes I wanted to have. Maybe it was just me? Also, the review below just feels much more negative for the book than I actually felt. Cause I did like parts of it! But I can type out critiques better than just writing "this was cute" over and over. Soooo it is what it is 🙃

The cover had me thinking (honestly idk why) that this would be darker, but other than a little enemy battling for this second chance romance, it was a pretty cute romance! I loved the premise of this best friends brother second chance storyline, especially with the unique opening of the book, but the rest of the book didnt feel unique enough and just ran long for me. I couldn't fully connect to either of the characters, which I get Cal was supposed to be more unique but I felt like she was tooo unnecessarily quirky, but Row turning from grumpy to a secret cinnamon roll for her just didnt land for me? And unfortunately, I just didn't enjoy the "grand reveal" that Cal loved Row the whole time, it felt a too too obvious for me.

THE KITCHEN SCENE?! 🥵 when you though one was enough, and then the second thing?! It gave me so much anxiety reading it. Like hot, but also...the sanitary concerns.

🖤Childhood Friends to Enemies(ish) to Lovers
🩷Second Chance Romance
🖤Best Friends Brother
🩷Grumpy x Sunshine

Also, as a true crime girly...I loved that little boit of the book. But it just was weird? Like who is a true crime junkie but ONLY talks about wanting to start their podcast but never talks about true crime in any other context? It just didnt land for me.

Also...If I ever met a person named gravity, I would think they were joking...

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ALC of this book in exchange for my honest and unpaid review!

(Audio)

Omgggggggg this book!!!!!! So sweet! Like sooooooo sweet! Like whatever you think sweet is, it’s not that. It’s a hundred times more sweet. Like a oh Henry bar lol I absolutely loved both the FMC and MMC. The MMC is gonna be a fav of mine for ever.
The narration was absolutely perfect too. I wish it was duet.

5⭐️
2.5🌶️
4🎧

To say Row and Cal had a complicated history is putting it mildly. While he did come off as somewhat of a grump, this man had it hard for Cal. With the patience of a saint, Row was so caring. It was impossible not to completely swoon over him. He was 100% infatuated with a girl he believed was out of his reach, but he was willing to accept any part of her she was willing to offer.

I didn’t love Cal’s character, to be honest. There was just something about her personality that was off-putting for me, but the dynamic between these two just worked. I can’t explain it. Their quirky, fun banter made the story enjoyable – plus the 90’s nostalgia was so perfect!

You’ll like this book if you enjoy:
💖Friends to lovers
💖Best friend’s brother
💖Slow burn
💖He fell first

🎧 Audio: Teddy Hamilton is one of the best male narrators out there. Fact. There’s not a single role he’s had that he didn’t completely embrace and 100% nail. You’ll never go wrong with an audiobook where he’s voicing the MMC. The female narrator, Lila Winters, I wasn’t as familiar with. She embodied the role of Cal very well. They made a good duo.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to review this ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.

SHE IS BACK AT IT, GIRLS!! L.J. Shen has written a deliciously hot best friend's brother romance with laugh out loud banter and sexy as sin chef! Ambrose, or Row, is Cal's best friend's brother. Now a famous chef, Row is a grumpy cinnamon roll who you will EAT UP, perhaps not literally. Cal is a funny woman with tics who wants to start her own crime show podcast. The problem? Dylan, Cal's BFF and Row's sister. Dylan, though one of my favorite characters - you will see *wink, wink* - does not want her BFF with her brother. Who would? Still, the ooey goey sweetness will melt you, as it did with me. BEST romance I've read in a LOOOOOONNNGGG time. :) 5 Stars, BABY! SO GOOD!

Best friend's brother
.Small town
.He falls first
.Secret identity
.Message exchange
.Hurt/comfort
.Forced proximity
.Workplace
.Always been you

I wasn't expecting much going into this book, given my past experiences with the author, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. It completely changed my mind, and now I’m genuinely excited for the next book, which I’m hoping will focus on Row’s sister.

This book hit all the right notes with some classic, well-loved tropes. The PINING! The sheer dedication this man has is what really sold it for me. I always appreciate a man obsessed and a completely oblivious FMC. And though it's technically a best friend's brother romance, it has a childhood friends to lovers feel since the characters grew up together and were always close. Which happens to be my all-time favourite trope in contemporary romance.

The first half was looking to be a full five star read, but somewhere around the halfway mark, it started to lose its momentum. The plot became a bit too convoluted and stretched out, but it remained a super fun read overall.

As for the spice, it was solid till the introduction of a rough zucchini and an unnecessary candy cane. For the sake of this review (and my own sanity) I’m just going to pretend that part never happened.

Overall, despite some bumps along the way, I had a lot of fun with this book and look forward to what comes next.

4.5/5
THE definition of “who hurt you”. The banter. He falls HARD. I do think it was longer than it needed to be. Which is why it’s not a 5 star.
Teddy Hamilton can do no wrong.

💖 Ok Chef Row, I see you over there with your… zucchini and candy canes …I’m sorry, wut? 🫣😮‍💨

This slow burn really has you pining for all the spice, but y’all once we got there, the spice was spicing.

Row and Cal had me in my feels all day. I loved their love so much. Row was everything- patient, understanding, protective, obsessed, family oriented, famous, rich and a chef, umm ok… say less😍👨🏽‍🍳

I really love LJ Shen. She is an insta-buy author for me, and I loved this book. However, it didn’t feel like Ms Shen’s usual stuff. Our hero isn’t as dark, or as corporate as my usual favorites and our heroine is quirky and broken yet bright and fun. She finds herself and saves herself and this was the perfect read to get me out of my slump. This book really shows a multitude of LJ Shen’s talents when it comes to her writing. Now, I am dyinggg to read Dylan’s story… it is going to be her next… right??

I received the audio version of this book and you already know @narratedbyteddyhamilton and @lilawintersnarrator nailed it! 🔨 A 10/10 perfect score for two of my favorite narrator’s of all time. I always know I can count on you two. 🩷🩵

Sadly I was not a huge fan of the narration. I hated cals chapters because I didn’t love the narrators male voice. Idk why it irked me so much….But I’m very picky about my audiobook narrators. I do adore teddy.

With that being said, I did enjoy it. As with all
LJ Shen books, it was chaotic, but in a good way. She’s one of the few romance authors I don’t mind writing long books because she is able to keep me engaged. Row was perfection and I love him so much. He was the sweetest grump ever. Cal on the other hand omg. I wanted to shake her and tell her to wake up and pull her head out of her butt. While I enjoyed her picking through her trauma I’m still mad at how she made does feel.

Narration 3.5 ⭐️ s
Book 4 ⭐️s
Overall 3.75 ⭐️ s

Also the kitchen scene. 🥒

This is the first ebook I've listened to by L.J. Shen. What a work of art! This is the perfect grumpy x sunshine book. Row has the perfect amount of grumpiness combined with humor to make him the perfect bachelor. Cal is a bit stubborn sometimes and denies her feelings for him. Row continues to try despite her gestures.

Eventually, they do have some super steamy sex! The candy cane scene had my jaw dropped. The sex scenes in this ebook were really good. This book does have a happy ending!

Thank you Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and L.J. Shen for an ARC of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook Review

Row is my book boyfriend. He’s the nicest bad boy, not bad boy at all- he’s just a grumpy boy with a sour mood. :) Cal is a scared young woman dealing with the consequences of keeping years of bullying to herself - the social anxiety, the fear of man- but she’s so funny and her friendship with Dylan is the best, even with 5 years of separation.
Teddy Hamilton and Lila Winters as Row and Cal were perfect.

I understand how difficult it is to write a novel. It takes years and a ton of revision. And while I respect that this book found a home in the publishing industry, it was not for me at all. I didn't like the writing--it seemed rudimentary at times--and I didn't feel a connection between the main characters at all. I also found the motivation for Row to be lacking. I don't understand what he saw in Cal, and by the end, I still didn't. Finally, and let me say that I gobble up sexy romance, the scene with the zucchini and the candy cane? It could have been epic, but it just wasn't.

**Truly, Madly, Deeply** by L.J. Shen is a total page-turner. It's got all the good stuff: enemies-to-lovers, a super hot chef, and a sassy podcaster.

Calla and Ambrose are like fire and ice, but you can *feel* the tension between them. Their banter is hilarious, and their chemistry is off the charts. It's a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and I was totally hooked.

The story is full of twists and turns, and I couldn't put it down. If you're looking for a steamy romance with a lot of heart, this is definitely the book for you.

Love is a high stakes game

Audiobook Narration:

This was my first audiobook with both Lila Winters and Teddy Hamilton.

Transparently I find narrators to be very hit and miss for me in general. These two were absolute HITS and I look forward to finding more of their other works. Their voices and delivery were spot on in addition to the written text and dialogue of the book itself. A great pairing on all fronts.

This is an audiobook I will personally listen to again and intend to read the e-book to highlight some of my favorite lines as well. You really feel like you are in the scene itself. Each chapter is announced as well as if Cal or Row is going to narrate so you know what to expect and is easy to follow along.

I think this would be fabulous to do audio and read at the same time. I just to listen at the default speed but feel if you decided to speed it up that would work just fine with these narrators.

Lila did fantastic with Cal’s different inflections and specifically stood out during times or insecurity, bubbly deliveries and mimicking other characters in the book as she read their lines.

Teddy was great at the broody delivery needed and expressing his begrudging lines. He was fabulous at delivering with passion and conviction.

Truly, Madly, Deeply:

Calla Litvan + Ambrose Casablancas= an explosive start.

As a big 90’s fan myself the song choices and references stole my heart in this story and fit Cal so well. Row is so detail oriented, thoughtful (to those that matter to him) and takes the candy cane. He can be filthy while feeling it all. Prepare to giggle and feel the magic of their tension throughout their story.

Cal is definitely slow to let her guard down and jump all the way in. Row provides her the reassurance she needed to know that by taking a chance on herself she could absolutely give their relationship her all too.

The chemistry with these two is overflowing and the length and depths it goes back will leave you clutching your pearls.

This book blends together two great elements: sister’s best friend and moving on after traumatic events.

Around the 85% mark I really started to stress there might not be an HEA within this book. Just know it all works out in the end of this book.

Content warnings to be aware of:
Death of a parent
Bullying
Sexual exploitation

This book is has taken its place as one of my favorites. Going audio or text route I really don’t think you can go wrong either way.

Thank you Dreamscape Media for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Woweeeee what an opening scene! Was definitely not expecting that! But from that point on, I’d knew I was in for a spicy treat—and it did not disappoint. We love an enemies to lovers trope.

And honestly, I really liked this book! The friendship between the FMC and her childhood BFF was great, the longing from afar from the MMC, and the spice! Although it was a bit of a slow burn after the opening scene, once we got there again, it was worth the wait. It was like a 4-4.5/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ for me.)

Now I want a hot, world famous tattooed chef!!!

(Thank you, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

Truly Madly Deeply is book 1 in the Forbidden Love series that features Ambrose ‘Row’ Casablancas, and Calla ‘Cal” Litvin’s story. This is a story about returning home and facing your fears. It's about love, friendship and family.

The story gave us second chance, friends to enemies to friends to lovers, best friends older brother, workplace romance tropes and I was fully engrossed and captivated with the story from beginning to end.

There was so many things I loved with this novel. Row and Cal's story was a unique one. Told in the present day with snippets from the past, we get their history but learn so much more as the story progressed.

They were two complex characters, flawed in their own way, with past trauma that shaped them and made them unable to trust. I loved Row even with all his broodiness, and the fact that he loved Cal wholeheartedly had me swooning.
I loved Cal's quirkiness, but she frustrated me at times, as she refused to believe Row when he communicated his feelings to her. However they were perfect together as bit by bit they gave each other the strength to move forward.

The back and forth banter between them was excellent. We get sarcasm, and dry humor and not just between these two, but also amoung family/friends, and we got fascinating secondary characters who added support and humor to the story.

Although a slow burn, the steam, when it did come was downright scorching.

There was a mystery element that surprised me but it added another layer to the tale and it had me at the edge of my seat.

All in all, this story was a wonderful read. It was a great start to the series and I can't wait for the next book. I would definitely recommend this novel to romance readers.

🎧🎧🎧
I listened to the audiobook of this novel which was narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Lila Winters. They both did an incredible job with the narration and their voices were perfectly suited to the characters. They brought out the emotions of the characters, giving them differing personalities and voices and really brought the story to life. It was a pleasure listening to them narrate this novel.