Sunday 8 January 2023

Never Have I Ever: Submitted to my Enemy by Willow Dixon

Title: ⟫ Never Have I Ever: Submitted to my Enemy

Author: ⟫ Willow Dixon

Rating: ⟫ 4/5

Blurb:How could I not have realized the guy I’ve been chatting with online is the one person I hate?

Kai, the bad boy I broke my rules for. Who stomped all over my heart. Twice. He’s arrogant and annoying, and worse, he doesn’t even remember what he did to me.

He’s also my new presentation partner. I want nothing to do with him, but the more time we spend together, the more I realize he’s not the monster I’ve made him out to be. I want to keep hating him, but it’s hard when he’s made it his mission to get me to like him.

As if things weren’t messed up enough, enter MrWrong, the bossy as f*ck guy I’ve been chatting with online. Using an anonymous app was supposed to be an uncomplicated way to explore my more extreme interests. I didn’t count on meeting the only person who’s ever been able to give me not only what I want, but what I need.

I spent years denying my attraction to men to protect a broken heart. Now I have two guys I can’t stop thinking about.

F*ck my life.

Alex and Kai’s story is an enemies-to-lovers romance between classmates who discover they have more in common than they think. Expect lots of steamy, kinky conversations, and even hotter encounters when these classmates realize who they’ve been chatting with. It is the second novel in the exciting Never Have I Ever series but can be read as a standalone.

Review: ⟫ Well, this was full of surprises!! First of all, MrWrong has an absolutely filthy mouth on him and I am well and truly here for it. Secondly, someone needs to give Beck a smack around the head for not realising how much he was letting Alex down – you don’t have someone like that as your friend without realising how much damage you might cause by not being there for them.

The relationship(s) between Kai and Alex were complicated and interesting. I especially liked the hints the author dropped into things that could have revealed their connection earlier if they had been paying attention. The different sides to their personalities were represented in each scenario – there was the Alex that obeyed Kai’s every instruction and was his brat; the battling students working together; and the vulnerable young men who slowly let the other into the hidden sides of their lives until they all became entwined. It was beautifully done, and I really enjoyed the reveal and the very honest reaction to it.

So why a 4/5? I (personally) think that Alex was intelligent enough to recognise the signs of ADHD and even though when he was younger, he was made to feel like he was just being lazy, etc., once he reached university I think he would have investigated further. That niggled at me throughout the book – especially as a parent to a child/young adult struggling with ADHD – so that affected my enjoyment somewhat.

I was surprised/pleased to discover that I’m actually in the middle of reading Step-Bully which includes a couple featured in this book – my magpie mind jumped to other things whilst reading it, so I haven’t finished it yet but I will be bumping it up on my TBR pile.

This was a really enjoyable book to read and I think you will find yourself rooting for Kai and Alex to get out of their own way to find love. Alex truly deserved the family he found with Kai, his mother and sister, and Kai had someone that was his in a way that he had never experienced.

I received an ARC from GRR.

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