Oh. My. Goodness. I just finished reading and I'm still a little breathless. Seriously, this book completely swept me away! From the very first page, I was hooked by the intense animosity crackling between the main characters.

The setup itself is gold: Lucy, a feisty indie musician and Marcus, a brooding rock god thrown together in a fake relationship to appease warring fanbases? Yes, please!

What I adored most was how real the emotions felt. You could practically taste the dislike between them at first. It wasn't just empty bickering; it was rooted in something deeper, a genuine clash of personalities and past grievances. And then, as the story unfolded, watching that hatred slowly morph into something else… something tender, and passionate, and undeniably real… it was pure magic.

Every interaction between Marcus and Lucy was charged with electricity. Even the simplest conversations felt loaded with unspoken desires and hidden vulnerabilities. The forced proximity trope was used perfectly here. Being stuck together, sharing a bed (hello!), and being forced to see beyond the surface layers really allowed their feelings to develop in a way that felt organic and believable.

What made this book stand out for me was how vulnerable the characters allowed themselves to be. They both had secrets and insecurities, and watching them slowly unravel and share those with each other was incredibly moving. It made their connection feel so much more authentic and powerful.

Thank you to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op at NetGalley for the ARC.

Tropes: Fake dating, rockstar romance, enemies to lovers, forced proximity

2⭐️ and 1/5🌶️(with a bondage kink)

I would recommend this book to fans of Tessa Bailey.

The pacing of this book was a bit off, and could’ve done with either some expansion on some of the sub-plots, or complete removal. Topics such as the female main characters ex-fiancé, FMC wanting to go solo and the MMC’s daddy issues felt disjointed from the plot when they were mentioned. 100 extra pages to expand on these plot points would have greatly benefited the story.

The romance itself builds nicely throughout the novel and was enjoyable to read about. The MCs are able to get to know each other in an unconventional way and begin to trust each other.

My biggest problem stemmed from how the sex scenes were written, and maybe I’m a prude -spoiler ahead- but the first time having sex with someone involving bondage is a bit too much for me. The insta-love at the end also did not work for me.

A cute cosy enemies to lovers/fake dating story. I enjoyed the slow burn although the falling for one another did seem a bit abrupt. Overall I thought it was really cute and loved the dog subplot 🙂.

The book reads more like Wattpad fanfiction than a polished, professionally published novel. As it stands, it feels unpolished and difficult to read.

A fun read.
Marcus and Lucy… what can I say. Musicians. Enemies to lovers, one bed.
There were a couple of spicy parts I wasn’t expecting.