I really enjoyed this once, it getting like a version of the hating game with single parents. It was cute and a quick read

Very enjoyable book with a widowed mom with two kids angle. I haven’t read many books with this as the setup, so I found this one interesting and relatable. I enjoyed all the build up to the relationship (over years) with the MMC. Lots of sexy moments which felt genuine and exciting. I highly recommend this book and will actively be seeking out other books by this (new to me) author.

This is a fun, entertaining read. Ben and Juliana are interesting, relatable, intriguing, wounded, caring, complex, strong, entertaining characters. I enjoyed spending time with them and their romance. There were many times during the first half of the book when I wanted to shake Juliana, even though I understood what was motivating her actions and decisions. The secondary characters – especially the little girls – added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. The book is easy to read and get into.

I enjoyed the audio version of the book and the narrator.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fun workplace romance that takes a turn into the personal world too.

I enjoyed this light, quick read. It was interesting to approach the story from the POV of a single mom, who was also experiencing grief. It added depth to the story and made me more invested in a happy ending. The witty banter and the workplace enemies trope lightened the story and brought lots of humor.

This is a classic, feel good romance. There are a few open door scenes but they are easy to skim through and not miss the storyline if you prefer closed door romance.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A sweet workplace romance with all the feels and tropes: grumpy sunshine, enemies to lovers, single parent.

Juliana meet Ben on her first day of a new job, and there is instant tension after she overhears a comment he makes about her before a meeting. Fast forward a couple of years and their paths continue to cross while the heat/tension builds.

***potentially huge trigger as the FMC is a widow and talk of her deceased spouse is HIGH throughout the book.***

I enjoyed the story, enjoyed the pace of it, and it was a well written debut. The narrator did fantastic and kept me engaged through the story. Would recommend!

3.5⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley, St Martin’s Press for my ARC and Macmillan Audio for my ALC.

The narration for Let's Call a Truce was fantastic, but even that could not make me like these characters. Overall though, still enjoyable.

well, that first half i loved. the banter. the jokes. fun. then they got together and it went down hill. that third act breakup wasn't needed, lot of it could have been edited out. oh well. i will read more from Buchanan though

This was a good enemies to lovers work place romance. Juliana is back to work after losing her husband two years ago. She is forced to work with her office nemesis, Ben and we see their journey as enemies to lovers.
I enjoyed seeing both of their journey as single parents and how their children was so important to them. Their banter and connection was great and those steamy scenes were hot!
Charlotte North did a great job as the narrator.

Thank you @smpromance @macmillan.audio for a copy of this debut novel.

Such a dazzling and delightful debut!!

I loved how complex and layered this story was and
Amy handled topics of grief, mom guilt, solo parenting, and challenging parenting dynamics so beautifully and with immense tenderness. I loved watching Juliana and Ben’s relationship evolve and having shared experiences allowed them to provide the other with understanding and support where others might not understand.

I also really appreciated how Amy spoke to the pressures on moms and how so many of the tasks we complete and support we offer can often go unnoticed, but we still carry and have to navigate that emotional load.

While this book is tender, it is also so spicy and hot!! Amy knows how to bring the heat and I love how the spice deepened Juliana and Ben’s emotional intimacy as well.

Charlotte North’s narration was wonderful and I really enjoyed getting to hear Juliana, Ben, and the entire cast come to life!

I cannot wait to read what Amy writes next!

4.25⭐
1🌶️
Tropes: starting over, single mom, workplace romance, enemies to lovers
Single POV 1st person
When her husband dies unexpectedly Juliana Ryan needs to find a job to be able to support her and her two daughters. She ends up taking a position as a hiring manager and meeting Ben, the head of the engineering department. She is instantly attracted to him, but when she overhears him speaking badly of her for needing to postpone their meeting due to an emergency with her kids, it sets off a years long feud between them. When they are both pegged to work on a project together, they agree to a truce, and start to realize there might be more than hatred between them.
Definitely enjoyed this story. I love that the MCs are in their upper 30s, and I thought the author did a great job with how she handled the grief the FMC and her daughters experience- it was very well done and didn’t diminish Juliana’s marriage/relationship for the sake of her feelings for/relationship with Ben. I’m also not much of a crier but I definitely got teary in a few parts where Juliana was dealing with her young daughters. My only complaint is I wish it was dual POV because I’d love to know Ben’s thoughts through all of it.
I also thought the narrator did a great job!

What a sweet story!
Workplace romance, well.... ??? Maybe...
Enemies to lovers, again.... maybe ???
Friends like family... ✔️
Children that are loved beyond measure... ✔️
Family and friends that support you through anything that may come? Overwhelming ✔️✔️✔️✔️ !!!!!

Juliana is a young, grieving widow with two young girls. She is now the primary caregiver and breadwinner, and once she is able to pull herself back up and INTO the world, she realizes that she MUST get a job, or she will not be able to survive, and have her girls thrive...

And, just as she lands a job and is thrilled to get back into all the hubbub... on her very first day, she gets a call from her girls' school, and she has to leave work early.
To her surprise, she hears the guy she was supposed to meet up with the day before (but had to cancel because of her girls) bad-mouthing her! She. Is. LIVID!!

And, he is never going to live this one down....

And so, Ben and Juliana have a love/hate relationship at work. They appear to get along when others are around, but when they are alone, they want to kill each other!

UNTIL, they are both being considered for promotions, and so, they MUST work together and appear to be a united front! So, they decide to call a TRUCE...just until they can get through this...

And so it begins!

This one had me LOL, and then tearing up! Happy to be a part of their antics, and then so very sad for all they each had lost....

And as they start to understand each other a little better, they begin to tear down the walls that separate them...

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!!!

#LetsCallATruce by #AmyBuchanan and narrated beautifully by #CharlotteNorth.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for an ARC of the audiobook which is *****Due To Be Released on January 14, 2025***** So, look 👀 for it then!!!

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This one was not what I expected, but I definitely ended up appreciating it. I didn't read much of the blurb, so I ended up going in mostly blind.

Read this if you enjoy:
> Workplace romance
> Enemies to lovers
> Single parents (both)
> Witty banter
> Open door spice

There was a lot about this story that really worked for me - I haven't read a ton of romances where both main characters were single parents and I thought the emphasis on the lifestyle of parenting and the things that parents will do for their kids really shone through in spots. There were times where the decisions made by the MCs only made sense in the context of them doing what they thought was best for their children, and that really felt like real life.

There were also parts of the story that really were a bit frustrating. While I understood the narrative in the context of the storyline, I really didn't like how some of the scenarios played out between the two MCs. The return of the ex-wife was a twist that I didn't really enjoy - the way that they interacted between each other while the ex-wife was in the picture bordered on disrespectful and definitely lived in a grey area. Overall, the story was well written and the characters were believable in the circumstances they found themselves in.

The audio narration was very well done and I enjoyed the way that the characters were brought to life through narration. Thank you to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the ALC of this book.

Let’s Call a Truce the debut novel from Amy Buchanan (out January 14 from Macmillan) (I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Charlotte North). Here we have a ton of things I’ve been BEGGING authors and publishers to do. Non-billionare MMC? Check. A workplace that isn’t high finance or change the world or whatever…just…a workplace like any other? Check. A FMC that isn’t in her 20s and isn’t your standard “Emily in Paris” (for lack of a better descriptor)? CHECK! (she’s in her mid-30s, a widow with 2 kids!). A location that isn’t one of the usual places (New York is so over done)? CHECK!!! (Orlando!).

Julianna, our FMC, has returned to the workforce after the death of her husband. There she interacts with Ben (our MMC) and gets off on the wrong foot on day one – he immediately questions her fitness for the job. There is clear anger and antagonism. And then we jump forward 2 years and the two are at each other’s throats. Seriously…there is sexual tension from the antagonism right off the charts from early on. You can believe that these two people have been at each other’s throats (and also fantasizing about each other’s throats…yes…literally) for years. When work forces them to “call a truce” (heyya!…there’s the title!)…things…develop.

Look…is anything in this book really original? No…not really. I mean, other than the little details I pointed out above. But it is funny. And sexy. And sweet. And emotional. I liked that this was a second chance story but with different people. I liked that Ben’s past is a legitimate thing – both are parents who have been wounded. There’s a moment midway through with Paris and Ben where you truly realize what’s been going on there and it will absolutely fill you with sorrow for that little girl. I enjoyed the complications that would be involved with two single parents (something I have no conception of) of young children. I like that consent was a real thing here and that Ben was not about to do anything until Julianna was ready.

Like I said…there’s nothing really super original here. I spent the middle portion of the book dreading and then hating the inevitable events of the third act (a trope I’m generally sick of – seriously, authors…you can do better). But this was a wonderful first novel and I’m willing to give it the benefit of a doubt on that front. Even if I’m a FSU fan and can’t stand the Hogtown Gators. In spite of the epilogue that was pretty unnecessary (seriously – is this authors who can’t wrap things up with their characters or publishers who demand a neat little bow on the story?) 4 solid stars.

This is a workplace enemies to lovers romance a la The Hating Game. Juliana is restarting her career after her husband died unexpectedly, but when she overhears a colleague complaining about her kids being an inconvenience, it sets off a feud between the pair. Two years into their feud, Juliana and Ben are forced to work together on a special project that will help her get promoted.

I enjoyed this one! The workplace enemies wasn't too aggressive where I questioned how they were both still employed, and I like seeing them slowly thaw and get to know one another. I loved the family elements woven throughout as we see Juliana's daughters just want what's best for their mom, and her heartwarming support system show up for her. Ben was also a great male lead as he was patient and understanding with Juliana's grief and feelings of guilt.

There's a bit of drama towards the end that I didn't love, but overall enjoyed the story.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed Charlotte North's narration throughout. Thanks Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy.

This slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance is a quick and enjoyable read/listen(I received an Audio ARC)! Juliana is a recent widowed mother of 2. She rejoins the workforce, only to overhear some negative comments about her from her co-worker Ben on her second day. This leads to a 2 year long "feud" of subtle digs and sabotage before the animosity turns to attraction.

I love a good office romance and this one was interesting. Juliana slowly learned Ben's side of story as he tried to win her over. There were funny bits and surprises. The narrator did a great job with perfect timing to make me laugh! However there were a couple of things I that I wasn't a fan of. The sabotage of each other's work seems a bit childish. You can not like someone in the office, but that doesn't mean you should ruin their work. I also couldn't understand the reason's behind some of Ben's decisions and actions, particularly in regards to his ex. I get they are in the story to create some tension, but I feel like it could have been done in a better way.

This book was pretty good and I liked a book taht openly deals with grief and fear of abondment. And as with all books, sometimes if folks were ust honest earlier it could have been better.

This was very enjoyable! A heartfelt story with some smutty scenes 😏

When Ben and Juliana first meet it seems like a really adorable meet cute where she literally bumps into him. But it takes a quick turn when Ben says something really dumb and toolish and Juliana gets mad. And stays mad for 2 years. I love her dedication.

This is kind of an enemies to lovers but there is much more drama seeming as Juliana is recently widowed and has to go back to work and Ben, well Ben has a bunch of issues not limited to his poor communication skills.

Widowed mom Juliana is juggling her kids, going back to work, and feuding with her annoyingly hot coworker, Ben, who she overhears him talk about how her kids and inexperience are a liability to the company. Their feud is ongoing for several years before they are forced to work together on a project that will determine the rest of their career. What starts are fiery arguments turn into sparks that cannot be contained. Their temporary truces start to look more and more like a permanent truce. There are many laughs and many tension-filled moments throughout the book. This is the perfect read for someone looking for an enemies to lovers slow burn. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the free eARC and ALC. All opinions in this review are my own.

Instagram review will go live 13-Jan-2024.

I love a workplace enemies to lovers, and Let's Call a Truce was a really great debut! I thought Amy Buchanan did a great job of combining the tension and laughable moments I love in this type of contemporary romance with the depth of second chance love and family dynamics. CHarlotte North's narration was well done and really brought me into Juliana's character. The banter was great, and some of the moments had my jaw dropping, The coffee! Wow! The tension and spice was well done. All of this didn't take away from the exploration of the deeper topics of second chance love after loss, grief and navigating relationships with children. I did sometimes wish for Ben's perspective, but I thought Juliana still had a great character arc where she was navigating her own grief, being a working mother, and trying to see Ben's point of view as well. This book felt honest and messy and real. Overall, I really enjoyed this and would recommend to those that love a workplace contemporary rom-com.
Thank you Macmillan Audio for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This was a fun enemies to lovers romcom. It was a pretty familiar trope, but one that is like comfort food to me and will never get old. I rooted for Julianna and Ben and their girls. I especially loved the relationship between Julianna and Paris, it was very heart touching.