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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
“I can’t deny that, in this moment, in the dimness of the room, beneath my chest there pulses a heart that’s trying to break free again. Trying to find a piece of myself that I lost so many years ago. And I’m terrified of both finding it and declaring it lost forever.”
As the story opens, Alexis comes off as sassy, hard, guarded, and a loner. You soon learn what makes her tick, and why she’s terrified that her heart might break free after guarding it so fiercely. She is a complex character with many layers, and I loved seeing those layers get peeled back as Alexis finds her beautiful heart again.
Dax, her office enemy, was just wonderful! He seemed like a big fake to Alexis, but he was genuinely a good man and a key to her finding the person she used to be.
Kristin has combined several tropes—office enemies, fake engagement, enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, forced proximity and one bed—into one fabulous story! I loved it and highly recommend this sweet romcom—one that is laugh out loud funny with clean, sizzling romance, but also has a lot of depth and heartfelt poignancy.
Many thanks to the author for an eARC copy. All opinions are my own.
As the story opens, Alexis comes off as sassy, hard, guarded, and a loner. You soon learn what makes her tick, and why she’s terrified that her heart might break free after guarding it so fiercely. She is a complex character with many layers, and I loved seeing those layers get peeled back as Alexis finds her beautiful heart again.
Dax, her office enemy, was just wonderful! He seemed like a big fake to Alexis, but he was genuinely a good man and a key to her finding the person she used to be.
Kristin has combined several tropes—office enemies, fake engagement, enemies to lovers, grumpy sunshine, forced proximity and one bed—into one fabulous story! I loved it and highly recommend this sweet romcom—one that is laugh out loud funny with clean, sizzling romance, but also has a lot of depth and heartfelt poignancy.
Many thanks to the author for an eARC copy. All opinions are my own.
This was a fun romp reminding me of The Hating Game and Shipped if they had a closed door baby. I recommend for fans of Emma St. Clair, Jenny Proctor, and Brittany Larsen.
Alexis knows the office hunk is hunky but she also can't stand him. Dax is a bit too charming and exactly like any other smarmy man that has entered - and exited - her life. But with an opportunity to get rid of him for good and have better access to the bigger accounts, she grudgingly agrees to a fake relationship so Dax can get a job elsewhere.
This easy breezy read was a great way to end 2022. It was sweet and funny and that ladder kiss was perfection. I didn't need much incentive to want to escape to a cruise, but if I did, this was it.
Thank you to the author for the gifted copy. All tights in this review are my own.
Alexis knows the office hunk is hunky but she also can't stand him. Dax is a bit too charming and exactly like any other smarmy man that has entered - and exited - her life. But with an opportunity to get rid of him for good and have better access to the bigger accounts, she grudgingly agrees to a fake relationship so Dax can get a job elsewhere.
This easy breezy read was a great way to end 2022. It was sweet and funny and that ladder kiss was perfection. I didn't need much incentive to want to escape to a cruise, but if I did, this was it.
Thank you to the author for the gifted copy. All tights in this review are my own.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Alexis isn’t a fan of most men, and the least on her list has to be Dax, her coworker who is also the boss’s nephew and just happens to get all the best clients. So when a proposal comes up that could send Dax out of Alexis’s life, *and* give her all of his accounts, how could she refuse? Except for the little fact that it means playing as Dax’s fiancée for a dinner interview. Alexis hates lying even more than she hates Dax and his admittedly-handsome face…but just one night can’t cause too much trouble. Right?
Oh my gosh, this book! I was sooo excited for it and it didn’t disappoint! I love Alexis’s voice and Dax and the chemistry they have—as well as her denial of it for so long, even when it gets more and more difficult to ignore. The motivations and conflicts felt believable to get into the fake dating situation on both ends, and it was so fun seeing them let their guards down under false pretenses. I also liked that Alexis’s friends were a big part and important to her but didn’t seem to take over the story like it feels sometimes in ongoing series. I did feel that the conflict near the end felt a little contrived—but I honestly feel like this in most romances when it’s time to hit the “break up” beat, so it might have been me more than the story. Overall this was a really fun, swoony-sweet read I’d recommend to any romance readers!
Oh my gosh, this book! I was sooo excited for it and it didn’t disappoint! I love Alexis’s voice and Dax and the chemistry they have—as well as her denial of it for so long, even when it gets more and more difficult to ignore. The motivations and conflicts felt believable to get into the fake dating situation on both ends, and it was so fun seeing them let their guards down under false pretenses. I also liked that Alexis’s friends were a big part and important to her but didn’t seem to take over the story like it feels sometimes in ongoing series. I did feel that the conflict near the end felt a little contrived—but I honestly feel like this in most romances when it’s time to hit the “break up” beat, so it might have been me more than the story. Overall this was a really fun, swoony-sweet read I’d recommend to any romance readers!
Engaging the Office Enemy is the fifth book in Kristin Canary's California Dreamin' series. They are best read in order as each book builds upon the last one. The series follows a group of friends.
I have been curious about Alexis's story since I started the series. She has some serious man hate and I was curious why. All questions are answered in this story and she has great character growth.
Read for:
I have been curious about Alexis's story since I started the series. She has some serious man hate and I was curious why. All questions are answered in this story and she has great character growth.
Read for:
This was a good, fun, light-hearted read. It took me about a day to finish, and I did read this as a stand-alone not realizing it was part of a series. There’s definitely things I could have missed in the other books that would have helped bring more depth to this one.
I am a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope and this didn’t disappoint. I love the teasing banter between Dax and Alexis, but when they were on the cruise for the fake-dating portion of this, some of the things made me cringe. Booger Bear as a nickname for even your worst enemy is still a hard pass for me, but just because I couldn’t ever imagine calling anyone that. Definitely could have picked other pet names that were more believable.
Kind of interested in seeing Kennedy’s story now!
I am a big fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope and this didn’t disappoint. I love the teasing banter between Dax and Alexis, but when they were on the cruise for the fake-dating portion of this, some of the things made me cringe. Booger Bear as a nickname for even your worst enemy is still a hard pass for me, but just because I couldn’t ever imagine calling anyone that. Definitely could have picked other pet names that were more believable.
Kind of interested in seeing Kennedy’s story now!
Ah. This book. It had everything you could want in a sweet romance: fake relationship/enemies to lovers, forced proximity on a romantic vacation, and a perfect blend of funny and heartfelt moments.
The banter between Alexis and Dax was always spot on and hilarious. The addition of other couples on the tropical cruise was amazing as well and created a lot of great moments. Alexis definitely had a lot of stuff to work through which resulted in some frustrating decisions on her part, but I loved getting to see her face her demons and learn to let people in, regardless of how she may have been hurt in the past.
This novel is part of a series, but can be enjoyed as a stand alone. I received an ARC copy from the author, all thoughts are my own.
The banter between Alexis and Dax was always spot on and hilarious. The addition of other couples on the tropical cruise was amazing as well and created a lot of great moments. Alexis definitely had a lot of stuff to work through which resulted in some frustrating decisions on her part, but I loved getting to see her face her demons and learn to let people in, regardless of how she may have been hurt in the past.
This novel is part of a series, but can be enjoyed as a stand alone. I received an ARC copy from the author, all thoughts are my own.