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lizkatiereads's review
4.0
With Reservations is the first book of the With or Without You duet. The book focuses on Dominique, often referred to as Dom who works in construction, and Jesse, who works for a pharmaceutical company. Now enter Sebastian and his fiancée, Tyler who are traveling to Belize and each bringing their best friend along, Jesse and Dom. They start off on the wrong foot...a chance meeting in the airport convenience store, before realizing they will be traveling companions to their engaged friends. There is a significant amount of flirtatious, sarcastic banter between them that is fun, and it is obvious there is some sexual tension between them building throughout the book, until it is eventually released. There are cute little romantic moments mixed in with the steamy scenes. I especially liked the little “scuffle” with flirting after the surfing moment, and I very much enjoyed the nod to Forrest Gump, with a specific line towards the ending of the book.
This is a good enemies to lovers indie romance that is also a very slow burn. The book does jump back and forth from either Jesse or Dom’s point of view. I have read many books written this way, and quite enjoy that style. However, I lost interest in following some chapters when the exact same scene is written back to back just switching point of views, and this happens pretty often. That is purely my personal preference, and for other readers, they might enjoy that aspect. Now with all of that being said, this is something that I pushed through because all of the other chapters that flowed differently were quite enjoyable and I didn’t feel lost in following through. All in all, I did enjoy the book, and I am eager to read the next book to follow.
Thank you so much to Mimi Flood and StoryOrigin for the eARC of With Reservations in exchange for an honest review!
This is a good enemies to lovers indie romance that is also a very slow burn. The book does jump back and forth from either Jesse or Dom’s point of view. I have read many books written this way, and quite enjoy that style. However, I lost interest in following some chapters when the exact same scene is written back to back just switching point of views, and this happens pretty often. That is purely my personal preference, and for other readers, they might enjoy that aspect. Now with all of that being said, this is something that I pushed through because all of the other chapters that flowed differently were quite enjoyable and I didn’t feel lost in following through. All in all, I did enjoy the book, and I am eager to read the next book to follow.
Thank you so much to Mimi Flood and StoryOrigin for the eARC of With Reservations in exchange for an honest review!
sea_silver's review
2.5
This should not have been a duet. One book would've been enough if the author had cut out some of the unnecessary miscommunication drama.
chulaisreadingromance's review
5.0
Mimi Mimi what are you doing to me?
This is what a Part 1 of a book is supposed to look like! It supposed to give you hope and fill you with anticipation for the happy ever after to come!
First, I have to say the setting was exactly what my mind was needing in this -10F Minnesota weather: A week of vacation in a secluded island in Belize with my best friends? Sign me up!
I want a bff like Dominique! She was a real queen, a beautiful queen that had so much going on and was so deserving of that break! I loved how she didn’t take shit from anyone and how sure she was about who she was despite her painful experiences. She was the sweetest and most supportive person to everyone around her. I loved how she was able to get out of her shell and give love a chance despite her past and the walla she built up.
Jesse was charming, flirty and sooo caring and protective! He paid so much attention to Dominique and noticed so much and it made me swoon how deep he let himself get captivated by her. Behind that arrogant facade, there was a smart, vulnerable and sensitive man with a gigantic capacity to love hard.
After a not so cute meet-cute, the set up in the island was the perfect environment for them to get closer and get to know each other. They had many intimate moments where they allowed themselves to be vulnerable and open up to each other in a deeper level, this made the physical attraction even harder to resist since the emotional attachment started without them even noticing. They found out they complemented each other more than they thought initially and I never had a doubt that they were good for each other in every way even if it seemed otherwise in the surface and I love how they wanted to work hard to make it all work despite the burdens and obstacles.
The emotions, the flirting and banter were so sweet, funny and sexy it built up the tension so perfectly and the results were absolutely H O T super romantic!
Part 2 can’t come soon enough! Jesse and Dominique are such a beautiful and explosive couple and they deserve to be together forever!
Thank you, Mimi for gifting me this ARC copy!
This is what a Part 1 of a book is supposed to look like! It supposed to give you hope and fill you with anticipation for the happy ever after to come!
First, I have to say the setting was exactly what my mind was needing in this -10F Minnesota weather: A week of vacation in a secluded island in Belize with my best friends? Sign me up!
I want a bff like Dominique! She was a real queen, a beautiful queen that had so much going on and was so deserving of that break! I loved how she didn’t take shit from anyone and how sure she was about who she was despite her painful experiences. She was the sweetest and most supportive person to everyone around her. I loved how she was able to get out of her shell and give love a chance despite her past and the walla she built up.
Jesse was charming, flirty and sooo caring and protective! He paid so much attention to Dominique and noticed so much and it made me swoon how deep he let himself get captivated by her. Behind that arrogant facade, there was a smart, vulnerable and sensitive man with a gigantic capacity to love hard.
After a not so cute meet-cute, the set up in the island was the perfect environment for them to get closer and get to know each other. They had many intimate moments where they allowed themselves to be vulnerable and open up to each other in a deeper level, this made the physical attraction even harder to resist since the emotional attachment started without them even noticing. They found out they complemented each other more than they thought initially and I never had a doubt that they were good for each other in every way even if it seemed otherwise in the surface and I love how they wanted to work hard to make it all work despite the burdens and obstacles.
The emotions, the flirting and banter were so sweet, funny and sexy it built up the tension so perfectly and the results were absolutely H O T super romantic!
Part 2 can’t come soon enough! Jesse and Dominique are such a beautiful and explosive couple and they deserve to be together forever!
Thank you, Mimi for gifting me this ARC copy!
peacelovereading's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
I flew through this book because I just could not put it down!! Mimi Flood has written an amazing story here with some of my favorite tropes- enemies (to friends) to lovers and forced proximity. I loved the angst and the heartache between Dominique and Jesse. The setting of a private island vacation home in Belize was perfect for this story.
The way Jesse is described, bearded with a man bun and tattoos, made me swoon. Especially because he is also so caring. Dominique comes off as tough and independent and doesn't want to fall for Jesse. She pushes him away every chance she gets... until she no longer can. I cannot wait for Part 2 of this series to see what happens with these two!
The way Jesse is described, bearded with a man bun and tattoos, made me swoon. Especially because he is also so caring. Dominique comes off as tough and independent and doesn't want to fall for Jesse. She pushes him away every chance she gets... until she no longer can. I cannot wait for Part 2 of this series to see what happens with these two!
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness
blessedbookreviews's review
5.0
This book was sooo good!! It caught my attention from the beginning and kept it until the very end. I honestly didn't really want to put it down, but sadly I had to, so I tried to get back to it as soon as I could, and quickly finished it. I adored everything about it from the characters, to the plot, to the ending. This is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year, and I would definitely recommend reading it. :)
shawnatheis's review
4.0
Super sweet, light read. The perfect enemies to lovers rom-com. All the banter, the tension, the meddling friends - it was a nice break from the world right now.
This book is told from dual POVs which means there is a lot of cross-over and repetition with the conversations, but you also get to know what was going through each characters mind while the scene was happening!
This book is told from dual POVs which means there is a lot of cross-over and repetition with the conversations, but you also get to know what was going through each characters mind while the scene was happening!
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