-best friend’s brother
-grumpy/sunshine
-hate to love
-he falls first
-boss/employee

This book started with a bang… Cal has always had a crush on her best friends brother, Row, but what she didn’t know was he’s been in love with her. Right before Cal moves away for college, the two are caught a little too close. Cal loses her bestfriend that night. When Cal returns years later, can she win her bestfriend back and resist the pull of the tall, dark, handsome Row?

I loved the storyline of this book but felt it could have been just a little bit shorter. Cal really struggles with how she sees herself and interacting with others but Row is so patient with her.

I’m in love with this “he fell first” aspect because Row sure fell HARD. While this is grumpy/sunshine, I definitely felt like Row was just a huge a**hole most of the time to everyone and that lost him a few points in my book.


The narrators did a fantastic job bringing this book to life!

Enemies-to-lovers. Delicious banter. Childhood crush. She falls first, he falls harder. Touch her and lose a limb. He gives her space to figure out what she needs and wants.

Cal shows up to her hometown for her father's funeral. There she runs into her former best friend Dylan and her brother Row. Row is a successful chef and the man Cal lost her V card to before she left for college. Cal wants to reignite her friendship with Dylan, which ended when Dylan found Cal and Row together. While Cal & Dylan work on their friendship. Row needs help in his restaurant and reluctantly hires Cal as a server. There banter and angst reignite.

Thanks Netgalley for ALC.

I should have known by the authors note on page 1 that this was going to be a 5 star read. Everything Leigh put in that note for her dreams of this book were more than true.
Row is one of the most amazing MMCs I've had the honor of reading and his love for Cal truly might be one of my top 5 favorite book couples.
-"Show me I'm worth it. Because to me? You're worth the fucking world"
The way Leigh wrote Cal and her triggers and her trauma was so beautiful and meticulous and so full of love.
-"You're not broken Dot. A little cut, sure. All diamonds
The banter and angst spilled from each page and I replace my annotation tabs for laughter twice.
I will be fighting to feel the way this book made me feel for months.
-"The darkness envies the moon because it helped the dark shine. Don't let people tell you, you are anything less than perfect"

I absolutely adored *Truly Madly Deeply* by L.J. Shen, and pairing it with Teddy Hamilton as the voice of the male main character was a match made in heaven! Hamilton is hands down my favorite male narrator, and his performance in this audiobook is nothing short of perfection. His voice captures the depth, intensity, and vulnerability of the character, making every emotion hit that much harder. Listening to him bring the story to life elevated my love for the book even more.

Hamilton’s ability to embody the character's essence and deliver each line with such authenticity truly enhances the entire experience. He has a way of drawing you into the story, making you feel every moment, from the fiery tension to the heartfelt romance. Paired with Shen's masterful writing, this audiobook became an unforgettable journey that I couldn’t get enough of. If you're a fan of emotionally charged romance with outstanding narration, this is an absolute must-listen!

After the death of her father she runs into her childhood ex best friend, and her childhood crush. She states spending time with her ex best friend trying to fix the wrongs that happened when they were kids. The crush starts hanging around and making comments towards her, and when she ends up staying in town he begrudgingly gives her a job at hoods restaurant, and starts falling for her all over again even though he doesn’t want to get hurt. The end up falling for each other but end up not being able to fully commit to each other since their lives were in different directions.


🔹 he falls first
🔹 hometown romance
🔹 possessive male
🔹 standing up to childhood bully

I went into this with no expectations and I was still blown away by how good this was! I flew through this.

This was the perfect contemporary enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, & best friend's brother. It had all the drama, angst and tension I love with the hot & swoony romance too. This was definitely messy but I think that made it so entertaining. Cal & Row were captivating characters and I couldn't get enough of their interactions. I thought they were both complex too.

Lila Winters & Teddy Hamilton really knocked me off my feet with their narration. These two were the perfect fit for Cal & Row. I cannot picture anyone else capturing these two better.

*Note: this does have some dark elements which I was not expecting so I would check the TW*

THANK YOU, Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this ALC! It elevated the story to new heights and I am more in love with it now than I ever was!!

STORY REVIEW ⇒ I truly believed in this story.
I madly devoured every word.
I deeply felt this story.

”What did I just read?” , is a phrase that rolled around in my head for more than a minute after I finished. I wasn’t thinking that because I was stupefied by the story or it was a dark mysterious path, but because it was just so genuine to me. And honestly, I can’t really pinpoint why! LOL The whole thing, I guess. I mean I was in it from the very beginning. I understood it from the beginning, even when at times, shenanigans were running amok! I loved this story so much that I’m about to listen to the audiobook tonight thanks to NG and Dreamscape. I cannot wait to feel this thru Lila Winters & Teddy Hamilton’s narration. It is going to be epic. I FEEL IT!

The communication in this book was outstanding, and by communication, I mean conversation. The sarcasm, dry humor, and banter among everyone was at a level that outshines most books I’ve read lately! The chemistry and push/pull between Cal and Ro was electric. The story sparked from the beginning and the ”mystery” aspect added a bit of an edge. This is not a simple romance journey and it’s a lot more than meets the eye, but it’s worth every single one of its 500+ pages. I had a lot of different emotions throughout my reading, but the one that stands out the most is the feeling of anticipation I had at every turn. Because I not only liked the story but believed in Cal and Ro, I was addicted and could not wait to read what comes next after next after next!

If you like your story to be engrossing, real & relatable with a whole lot of feeling, this is a book you should read!

NARRATION REVIEW ⇒ This was my first audiobook with Lila Winters as a narrator and I enjoyed the heck out of her narration. It was a beautiful surprise because I already knew I'd enjoy Teddy Hamilton so this was a #winner in my ears for almost 16 hours! GAH, I love it when this happens because it allows me to just get lost in the words even when I'm occupying myself doing other tasks!

EXCELLENT job in story and narration both!!

I absolutely loved this book! ONLY 1 issue.. The candy cane!!! The pure terror!!! Has no one else cut the crap out of there tongue on one of those??
I couldn't imagine.... Perfect narrators! I love LJ Shen!

Publisher's summary
This old flame just might set them on fire.
Conceited, unattainable, and downright delicious, renowned Michelin-starred chef Ambrose Casablancas has one passion in life: food.
Women are a distraction, and he doesn’t do those. Especially Cal Litvin, his baby sister’s best friend. Her entire existence is a complication; she’s awkward, eccentric, infuriating…
And, much to his chagrin, hotter than his kitchen.
Ambrose has a lot on his plate: a new restaurant to open, a multi-million-dollar property deal to execute, and a violent stalker to tame.
Then Cal shows up at his doorstep, looking for both a job and salvation after their messy goodbye. His resolve, like his patience, is ebbing each day she works at his restaurant.
Because Cal is no longer a doe-eyed girl.
Now? She’s the woman he’ll do anything to conquer.
Quirky, compassionate ball of sunshine Calla Litvin can’t catch a break, and not just because she swore off running.
Back in her hometown to nurse her mother’s broken heart after losing her father, she finds herself jobless, hopeless, and penniless. She hopes to rekindle her friendship with her former BFF, but Dylan is attached at the hip to her cruel brother—the one Cal’s been secretly crushing on since middle school.
Falling for the bad boy the second time around would be a mistake of gargantuan proportions.
Too bad she’s always been clumsy.

Thanks to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the ARC of this book!

Truly, Madly, Deeply
By: L.J. Shen
Narrated by: Lila Winters, Teddy Hamilton
Series: Forbidden Love, Book 1
Release date: 09-10-24
Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Thank you #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for the ARC of this book!! ❤️❤️❤️ (This will be my comment on every site)

I LOVE this story!!! It's best friends brother AND second chance romance. While those are two popular tropes, this is definitely a fresh take on both. Mental health is also a main factor in this story, and it gives examples of how trauma can impact every single aspect of your life. I LOVE that our FMC found her way through her pain, with the MMC guidance, of course!

And the narration?!?! ***CHEFS KISS*** I mean, #TeddyHamilton, need I say more?? 🥵❤️

Definitely will be recommending this book, and I'm sure it will be a re-listen for me. Sometimes we need to hear a story about someone that makes it through their darkness to find that light and love on the other side.

LJ Shen never disappoints. Truly, Madly, Deeply is steamy and angsty perfection!

I loved the narration of this book. I felt that it added so much more depth to the story. It felt fully immersive and made the reading experience so much better. It's enemies to lovers with grumpy sunshine, slow burn, best friends brother, and he fell first. LJ Shen is clever with her with her wit, humor and banter. Row is what Gordon Ramsey wishes he was. Hot, young and romantic but he gives him the grumpy chef title a run for his money. Row and Cal have a past and seeing each other again for the first time definitely brought some things up. This book was absolutely delicious and I ate every crumb up!

Deeply Madly Truly by LJ Shen is book one in the Forbidden Love series and I’m obsessed!! If you like billionaire romance, best friend's brother, second chance, slow burn, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, boss/employee, he falls first, he’s a chef, she’s a true crime fanatic, secret pen pals, with mental health rep then you will love this book!!

This book was absolutely and positively amazing!! I loved the plot and storyline. All of the characters were written so well. I loved that Cal was quirky, loved the 90’s, and was wanted to have a true crime podcast. Ambrose “Row” was a cranky famous chef, didn’t like people, but loved his family and Cal. I loved Dylan she was feisty, independent, strong willed, and didn’t take crap from anyone. All the character were amazing. This story had me cracking up so much, the banter between the characters was great!! Row and Cal both went through trauma, but they understood each other and helped each other heal. There was nothing I didn’t like and cannot recommend it enough. Teddy Hamilton and Lila Winters were perfect as the narrators, I couldn’t picture anyone else narrating this book. Thank you so Dreamscape Media, LJ Shen, and NetGalley for letting me listen to audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is the definition of grumpy sunshine. Cal is hella quirky & Ro walks around with a permanent scowl and gives zero F’s. 😅

This book is second chance and I actually loved that aspect of it along with a mystery thrown in that kept me super interested.

I had slight issues with the pacing of how quickly things went from enemies to lovers and the overall length of the book, however it did not take away from the story for me and I was still ready to dive back in to see where things were going! 👀

I fell in love with so many of the side characters and loved the friendship aspect of Cal & Dylan.

Ok, the last thing I absolutely have to mention is THE KITCHEN SCENE. 🔥
Ro is a chef and there are some “items” from the kitchen used with Cal that will forever live in my head rent free 🤭

Thank you LJ & Netgalley for this ARC/ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Cal and Dylan have been best friends since elementary school. Dylan's only rule is that Cal can not date her older brother Ro. Cal and Ro has always felt a connection and finally Cal gets over her anxiety and asks Ro to be her first. What should have been Cal's dream come true slowly turns into the worst day of her life when Dylan discovers their tryst. Now leaving for college in New York, Cal has lost everything in her world. Five years later Cal has come back to her home town for her father's funeral. Now Cal must come to terms with her failed love for Ro and try to make amends with Dylan, who is very pregnant. Cal and Ro are only in town until New Year's Day before she goes back to New Yorker and Ro to London. This was a good book and quite funny in parts. Ro is a person that you love to hate with his quick wit. Cal is an akward girl that is still haunted by past trauma that she hasn't told a soul about. Dylan speaks her mind and doesn't care who she offends. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for letting me listen to this advanced copy of this audio book.

ARC Review
4.5 Stars
I'm obsessed!!!! The banter is supreme. It's sexy and funny and all the things you always love with LJ Shen. Only wish a different narrator had done Cal's voice, it sounded older than I pictured her

Truly loved the banter in this book. MMC gave me major "the Bear" vibes and I was all hear for it. This Grumpy X Sunshine couples cunning and quip attitudes will have you laughing through the whole book. If you liked "By a Thread" then you should definitely pick this one up!

📖 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐋.𝐉. 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐧
🎧 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝐓𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧

“𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘙𝘰𝘸 𝘊𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘥.”

I really enjoyed this audiobook narrated by 𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐚 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝐓𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐧! The narration was well done and the voices really gave life to the narrative!

This story follows Cal Litvin, a woman who has struggled with social anxiety and androphobia(fear of men), for most of her life. She struggles connecting with others, especially men. Her biggest hang up is she can’t get over her childhood crush, and the only man she’s ever been intimate with, Row Casablanca. Unfortunately, Row was her best-friend’s older brother and she lost both of them after sleeping with him.

Now, she’s back in her home town for her father’s funeral and it quickly becomes clear she’s not over Row.

Row is a celebrity chef. He’s been all over the world but is currently running his own restaurant in his home town, the last place he ever wanted to return. When a ghost from his past asks for a job, he has to deal with his attraction to her and everything they left unsaid.

Row is the embodiment of a grumpy MMC. He’s literally a grump to 90% of the people in this book but when he opens his heart to those he loves I promise you, he’s so sweet inside!

"𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶."

I thought Cal’s character was really well done and unique. I feel like the “quirky girl” trope gets attempted a lot in books but Cal really is a fantastic take on a socially awkward FMC. I freaking loved her. Every time she opened her mouth, pure comedy came out! 😂 She has trauma from her past that she’s never dealt with but Row’s presence helps her to finally address it.

Let me just tell you, the spice in this book is on a different level. It’s a slow burn but when the spice hits, it freaking hits. I will never look at a zucchini and candy cane the same way again. 🤣🤭

“𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘋𝘰𝘵.”

If you love steamy grumpy x sunshine stories with a ton of forced proximity, go add 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐲 𝐋.𝐉. 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐧, to your TBR today! This audiobook from Dreamscape Media is definitely worth the listen!!

“𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘴, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦.“

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
🤭 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥’𝘴 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳
☀️ 𝘎𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘺 𝘹 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦
💞 𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴
👊🏼 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘔𝘊
🏘️ 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘺
👀 𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘳
❤️‍🔥 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Dreamscape Media for the Audiobook ARC. The narrator for Ro had me glued to this story. It is a older brother, enemies to lover troupe and I was here for it. This book was filled with spice and romance, check out the kitchen scene. A must read.

I fell Truly Madly Deeply in love with Row and Cal's story! Their grumpy x sunshine dynamic is exactly the kind of tension with humor and angst that I crave in a good enemies-to-lovers romance. The chemistry between them was *chef's kiss*, and hearing their banter and emotional struggles play out made it even more immersive. Calla’s awkward yet endearing personality versus Ambrose’s gruff intense demeanor created such a satisfying slow burn push-and-pull throughout the story.

The narrators, Teddy Hamilton and Lila Winters, absolutely brought the story to life! They captured the characters’ personalities so well as Ambrose’s broody, grumpy vibe and Cal’s quirky, lighthearted nature really shone through. The way they delivered the banter and all those intense emotional moments made it so easy to get lost in the story. I felt every bit of the tension and chemistry between them. Honestly, the narration took the story to another level. If you're thinking about diving into this book, I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, it’s a must-hear!I'm

This audio was a little daunting due to the length, but I ended up enjoying it. I'm a huge sucker for anything grumpy x sunshine, and second chance, and this fit that bill.

It's clear that Ambrose and Cal have a ton of history, and I love the "return to small hometown and run into the ex" second chance trope. Their chemistry is great, and Teddy and Lila really did a great job bringing the characters to life.

This book seemed overwhelming at first, being over 500 pages, but I was able to tandem read both the digital copy and audiobook copy thanks to The Author Agency and Dreamscape Media respectively and I flew through it. Teddy Hamilton being the male narrator was a huge selling point for me. Teddy really brought Ambrose to life for me. Lila Winters was a great person to pair him with.

I jumped on this one as soon as I saw ‘He’s a chef’. I’m a sucker for anything restaurant related (you’d think I’d want to read about something that wouldn’t be related to my life, but apparently not). I love a sexy, grumpy chef (and trust me when I say, 90% of them are grumpy as hell).

Ambrose and Cal have such a history between them. So many hurt feelings and missed opportunity for communication. Dylan being between the two definitely didn’t help when they were young. Now that they’re adults, and back in their hometown, they have an opportunity for a second chance. They both struggle to give each other their hearts and be vulnerable, but the spice is fire.

I love that all the chapter titles are songs from the 90’s. They’re so fitting for the chapter and really add to the story.

I’ve loved all of L.J.’s books that I’ve read, and this one was no exception.