The Rade Book 1: Rival

If you like enemies to lovers, but want a vibe of miscommunication and assumptions that are explored and turn into respect and admiration, then this may be your jam. It's not got the dark hate sex vibe that some of those other books have. The time span is a little over a month, but they just seem to fit as a couple and it works. On the surface, this is a sexy seduction that turns into a romance, but it is a Katey Hawthorne book so expect more depth than that. There is no wallowing in the subject matter to be all angsty, but there are mature topics like: trying to leave the past behind, trying to be a better person, some of the effects of fame, dealing with self-esteem issues, the fragility of trust, childhood trauma, the dangers of social media fandom, addiction, and taking the good with the bad in your real relationships. Sometimes, things aren't working and it's time to move on and do what is best for you. When you are open to the possibilities, new doors open. Don't get me wrong, this has several explicit hot, hot, hot sex scenes, but it's oddly sweet without being sickly sweet or fake. There is subtle worldbuilding, layering in information about the parallel world of the fae, but I'd have liked to see more and what was there was my least favorite part of the book. The book is contemporary with mentions of popular artists of the day living along side fae, witches, and vampires--also not really shown. It does have a lot of slang and echoes celebrity wars on social media. The relationship between Harper and Beck is interesting to see develop with enough unique supporting characters that I suspect will all get their own stories. I loved the cool extras after the end. Buy it for the romance, it's worth it, just don't expect an urban fantasy plot.

Chaosmoondrawn, 10/25/2024
4 of 5 Stars4 of 5 Stars