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.

Sobbing, elated, giddy, swoon worthy. I literally cannot say enough amazing things about this book. Teddy and Lila were knockouts wihh the the audiobook. Row and Cal were so multi-dimensional in their love and personal growth. Holy cow idk how LJ keeps putting out these amazing stories!

I loved The Kiss Theif and I adore Teddy Hamilton which is why I signed up for this but GOOD GRIEF this is bad the FMC is very unreliable and immature and I couldn't get past 30%

For All the Pleasure
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5/5)  
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ (4/5) 
Audio Rating: 🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️(5/5)
~~~
“Love is a high stakes game… Show me I’m worth it.”
~~~
Tropes:   
Small Town
Enemies to Lovers
Best Friend’s Brother
Grumpy x Sunshine
Boss x Employee
Touch Her and ☠️
Michelin Star Chef
Quirky FMC
~~~
Vibes:
My first LJ Shen book totally blew me away! I was completely captivated by the characters, backstories, quirks, emotion, and spice. The traumas experienced by both MCs shape so much of their adult lives. Cal’s social anxiety and androphobia, Row’s tight circle of loved ones and constant need to protect Cal. The small town vibes are not all warm and fuzzy, and there is a slightly suspenseful element to the storyline. The main draw is the undeniable chemistry and magnetism between Cal and Row. There hasn’t been another book couple like them. I adore all the 90s references, Cal’s obsession with all things “true crime”, Row’s morally gray grumpiness that turns to mush around a single person, the support and affirmation, the hero-awakening, the epic show of karma, and a romcom worthy declaration of love.
~~~
Audio Notes:
Lila and Teddy did a spectacular job. Their voices paired perfectly with Cal’s quirky sunshine and Row’s grumpy insolence. Each voice was distinct, timing was impeccable, and emotion was experienced. I highly recommend this audiobook.
~~~
Recommended to...  
Spicy romance readers who love a uniquely quirky FMC and perfectly grumpy MMC.

An enigmatic page-turner that plays with the heart while tip-toeing across the senses. Shen is the queen of twists and turns. Just as you dare to figure it out, there's a new reveal waiting in the wings. Truly, Madly, Deeply is the kind of drama you can't put down. An addiction too haunting to forget.

💭𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗥𝗼 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗮🥹😭
This was my first LJ Shen and I didn’t know what to expect, I have seen an extreme mixed reception of her books, people either hate her or love her. Turns out, she was my cup of tea! I’m completely obsessed with this book. She writes a perfect mix of angst and humor, with unhinged hero and sassy heroine, just the way I like it.

🕺Ambrose MF Casablanca!!! The way he pines for Ro is on another level, and I LIVE for it🔥He’s a real grump and mean to Cal at the beginning, but we soon find out everything he does has a reason. The more we got to peek into his head, the more I fell in love with him. He’s a misunderstood hero, and he just couldn’t give a f*ck of what everybody thinks. I’m not saying he’s a cinnamon roll, but he’s definitely a simp for Cal and Cal only.

🅆🄷🅈 🄸 🄻🄾🅅🄴 🅁🄾 🄲🄰🅂🄰🄱🄻🄰🄽🄲🄰
✅This guy threatened a freakin cat ‘cause it keep pissing on his girls’ shoes, and that was f*ckin hilarious🤣
✅He makes a discontinued candy bar for Cal, cause she’s a picky eater, STOP IT, I’m deceased…🥹
✅He built her a podcast studio so she could pursue her dream of being a true crime podcast host

💃🏻Calla was somewhat frustrating as the FMC but I can close an eye for what she’d been through. She’s a pathological liar due to her people-pleaser personality, she also suffers from androphobia. These issues trace back to some tough stuff she went through when she was younger. She’s been unintentionally hurting Ro all this time, physically and emotionally, so that was heartbreaking. I think what she did at the end makes it up though, I LOOVE that grovel scene at the end. Also, cause she sings “Someone Like You” by Adele while holding a baguette to entertain her guest🤣🤣🤣 How can you hate this girl!

✨I also enjoy the backstory and the little bit of suspense, it was set up well and didn’t drag the story in my opinion. The slow burn was insane but once it got going you knew my boy Ro is gonna DELIVER🥵. Just know that you will not look at certain vegetable the same way EVER again🫣

🎧𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄🎧
Teddy’s performance as Ro in the audiobook is spot-on—his delivery of Ro’s humor and cheeky lines is perfect! Ro might be a grump, but Teddy brings out all the laughs with his delivery of Ro’s hilarious inner thoughts. Lila, new to me, did an excellent job as Cal. The chemistry between her and Teddy really shines through. I enjoy this book immensely and can’t wait to re-listen!

✨ 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 DREAMSCAPE MEDIA, NETGALLEY & LIBRO 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔, 𝙸'𝚖 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚢 ✨

#TrulyMadlyDeeply #NetGalley

Enjoyable second chance, enemies to lovers romance. Embrose and Cal had a great chemistry, and their banter is sexy, as well as funny. The story about life choices and forgiveness and true love. An easy-to-read book withh emotions. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the audio copy.

There were things to like about this story- I’m a sucker for grumpy x sunshine and a man obsessed with the FMC. I always love the 90’s. There is definitely an enemies to lovers vibe after the main characters past. But cmon, Row will do anything for Calla (if only she would believe that).

Trauma has bonded these two, but it’s also definitely kept them apart. This was heavy on the will they won’t they for a lot of the book. I wanted to lock Row + Cal in a room and make them talk- without being able to get naked. Servsafe would have a field day if they walked into this kitchen after hours. It was a fun listen and I could see a lot of people liking this one.

🎧We have Lila Winters and Teddy Hamilton bringing these characters to life. This was my first book with the female narrator. Teddy was great being mean to almost everyone as Row and Lila was great at portraying the quirky sunshine Calla. They made the audio fly by.

3.5⭐️
Thank you to Dreamscape Media for my alc.

I wanted to like this book a lot more but I couldn’t. I found the idea cute, I love best friends sibling trope and second chance a lot, but the way it was written felt a bit cringey for me and the FMC was too dense.
Also not something that affected my rating but I don’t find a MMC who smokes sexy at all.

This book was addicting. The push and pull between Calla and Ambrose. They love one another, they hate each other! Their personalities were so strong and complex. I really enjoyed Ambrose’s character- he was so sarcastic, grumpy you can’t help but love him. This story is full of great banter, humor, drama, intense emotions and passion!

I highly recommend the audiobook!! It is dual narrated by Teddy Hamilton and Lila Winters. Teddy Hamilton is the perfect growly, grumpy voice for Ambrose’s personality. Lila made Cal’s voice come to life perfect amount of emotion for her.

I also loved the chapter titles with various nostalgic music from 90s!

Truly Madly Deeply (Forbidden Love, #1) by L.J. Shen is a spicy male female dual point of view contemporary small town best friend's older brother romance. Great banter and sweet moments. I wish it were a bit shorter. Not my favorite LJ Shen novel (I'm a huge fan) but still enjoyed it. Teddy Hamilton and Lila Winters did a wonderful job with both characters.

In the beginning, I really wasn't sure how this was going to play out, but oh my gosh, it was great!

I was immediately intrigued given the barbs thrown back and forth between Row & Cal in the beginning. They truly seemed to hate each other, but you could tell the tension between them was more than hate. It walked that fine line between hate and obsession. Turns out, it was obsession.

Cal & Row hate how much they each love the other, because when they were young, they hurt one another. Row is like a young Gordon Ramsey - a world renowned grumpy chef and TV personality. Cal is trying to find her way - she's not sure where she considers home and is looking for her path.

I found Cal to be pretty relatable at times, and frustrating at others, because so many of her woes are self inflicted. I really liked Row's character arc. He came across as untouchable and mysterious, but peeling back his layers we discovered he is a man who is both in love with and deeply hurt by his little sister's ex-best friend.

The narration was so good! I'm (along with many others) a huge fan of Teddy Hamilton. His narration is always incredibly compelling to listen to, and his performance in Truly Madly Deeply was no exception. Lila Winters also did a great job portraying Cal.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, NetGalley and LJ Shen for the advanced copy audiobook.

An absolute must read for any romance lover! I can’t remember the last time a romance novel had me audibly laughing out loud and this book did it more than once. I’m obsessed with LJ Shen’s sense of humor because it’s so similar to my own.

Ambrose Casablancas is the perfect grumpy book boyfriend and is just chefs kiss perfect.

Also a round of applause for the audiobook narrators! UGH HOW CAN THEY BE SO PERFECT?