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carleneinspired 's review for:
Hate Story
by Nicole Williams
4.25 Stars
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
Nina can handle a fake relationship and a fake marriage, as long as it is built on the foundation of hatred. Three years, a million dollars, and she get to keep her house while he gets to keep the country he's taken to calling home. They both have history with love, enough to know it doesn't exist, but the chemistry between them is strong and Max is so much more than just a guy in a suit seeking a green card. He's found his way under her skin and into her heart, even if she is too busy hating him to accept it.
Fire. That was all I saw when I looked at him. I was playing with it by agreeing to this kind of arrangement with him.
Talk about great characters and a fun story line. Nina is hard-headed, naive, and has a really entertaining POV when it comes to life. She's been gutted by life, her outlook is fairly bleak, but her fairy tale is the kind you fall in love with, because it's so deserved. Max is attractive, a total sweetheart, and definitely the kind of hero that readers will add to their book boyfriend lists. Then there's the story line; male seeks female, female needs money, an agreement is established. These two agree to all the things we're used to when it comes to rich men and less-than-wealthy females, but the difference is their off the charts chemistry. It is obvious from the moment these two see each other that something is there, though readers are only gifted with the feelings and can't see how they fit. I was in love with how delayed Nicole Williams was with giving the character's complete outward appearances, leaving us with only their agreement and general disdain for romance to worth with. It's all very emotionally charged, but obvious that the hate is only towards the general feeling and not at all towards one another. I had hope from the very first page that these two would make things work, because fate certainly put them together.
Afraid someone else might take you away from me, afraid something might happen to you, afraid you might take yourself away from me. Yes to all of it.
I had a good idea about what Hate Story would be about, you can't have two main characters with so much chemistry and only money making them a couple without the story being easy to predict, but Nicole Williams did an excellent job of taking a cliche story line and spicing it up. The timeline is fast paced, especially with character development; readers will be surprised when Nina stops being a brick wall and allows Max in, but the witty conversations and sexy smut that follows makes the whiplash worth it. These two have heat, passion, and the makings of a truly perfect couple. You have to love their crazy plan, mixed in with pasts, family members, outside opinions, and of course the threat of the government intervening. Its emotional and packed with energy, but it's also laugh-out-loud funny, cute, and an enjoyable afternoon read.
Then I set a match to it. It was nothing more than a mirage. A sleight of hand. It wasn't real. None of it.
For fans of marriage-of-convenience tropes, Hate Story by Nicole Williams is one to add to your list. There is never a dull moment with these two bantering characters and Nicole's excellent writing brings their hate story to life.
Feeling him touching me, feeling the way I was touching him, I got it now. Why women and men made such stupid decisions in the name of love.
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
Nina can handle a fake relationship and a fake marriage, as long as it is built on the foundation of hatred. Three years, a million dollars, and she get to keep her house while he gets to keep the country he's taken to calling home. They both have history with love, enough to know it doesn't exist, but the chemistry between them is strong and Max is so much more than just a guy in a suit seeking a green card. He's found his way under her skin and into her heart, even if she is too busy hating him to accept it.
Fire. That was all I saw when I looked at him. I was playing with it by agreeing to this kind of arrangement with him.
Talk about great characters and a fun story line. Nina is hard-headed, naive, and has a really entertaining POV when it comes to life. She's been gutted by life, her outlook is fairly bleak, but her fairy tale is the kind you fall in love with, because it's so deserved. Max is attractive, a total sweetheart, and definitely the kind of hero that readers will add to their book boyfriend lists. Then there's the story line; male seeks female, female needs money, an agreement is established. These two agree to all the things we're used to when it comes to rich men and less-than-wealthy females, but the difference is their off the charts chemistry. It is obvious from the moment these two see each other that something is there, though readers are only gifted with the feelings and can't see how they fit. I was in love with how delayed Nicole Williams was with giving the character's complete outward appearances, leaving us with only their agreement and general disdain for romance to worth with. It's all very emotionally charged, but obvious that the hate is only towards the general feeling and not at all towards one another. I had hope from the very first page that these two would make things work, because fate certainly put them together.
Afraid someone else might take you away from me, afraid something might happen to you, afraid you might take yourself away from me. Yes to all of it.
I had a good idea about what Hate Story would be about, you can't have two main characters with so much chemistry and only money making them a couple without the story being easy to predict, but Nicole Williams did an excellent job of taking a cliche story line and spicing it up. The timeline is fast paced, especially with character development; readers will be surprised when Nina stops being a brick wall and allows Max in, but the witty conversations and sexy smut that follows makes the whiplash worth it. These two have heat, passion, and the makings of a truly perfect couple. You have to love their crazy plan, mixed in with pasts, family members, outside opinions, and of course the threat of the government intervening. Its emotional and packed with energy, but it's also laugh-out-loud funny, cute, and an enjoyable afternoon read.
Then I set a match to it. It was nothing more than a mirage. A sleight of hand. It wasn't real. None of it.
For fans of marriage-of-convenience tropes, Hate Story by Nicole Williams is one to add to your list. There is never a dull moment with these two bantering characters and Nicole's excellent writing brings their hate story to life.
Feeling him touching me, feeling the way I was touching him, I got it now. Why women and men made such stupid decisions in the name of love.