3.5 stars!
The Greene Family are back, with the latest sibling’s story to finding love. My Famous Frenemy is Posey Greene’s story, the salon owner who has always put her family first above her own want, and Gavin, the movie star who has arrived in town with his own secrets.
Gavin has moved to Sunrise Bay to escape the stress and pressure of Hollywood, and in his attempt to fit in, has become friends with some of the Greene family. However, he makes a less than stellar impression when he nearly runs over Posey Greene on his way to a family party, and so begins their frenemy relationship. There’s attraction there, despite the fact neither can get a read on the other’s feelings, but things come to a head when Gavin decides to run against Posey’s mum, Marla, in the mayor elections. Posey has always made sure her mum gets everything she wants, and even if Gavin is showing that he isn’t just running for the sake of it, she will stop at nothing to make sure her mum is the next mayor of Sunrise Bay. Will Gavin and Posey ever be able to put their differences to one side and see what could happen between them without the animosity of the mayoral race?
Gavin is instantly drawn to Posey because she doesn’t care about his fame. She doesn’t want anything from him, she doesn’t expect him to be like the characters he’s so famous for playing, and he feels like he can let his guard down around her. But the minute he discovers that Marla is his competion, he knows that anything he has been trying to build with Posey will instantly fall apart, because Posey puts her family, specifically her mum, first. His past means that he doesn’t often let people in, which is why he knew that Posey was special, and followed her lead in terms of their competitive nature, but made it flirty too.
Posey witnessing her mum’s life falling a part at a young age meant that she became the family’s fixer, always ready to drop anything to make sure her family is happy, even if that means sacrificing her own dreams. She instantly thinks Gavin is only in the mayoral race because he’s bored, and she’s determined to make sure her mum achieves her desire to be mayor. But the more she gets to know Gavin, through working the campaign trail and inadvertently in her personal life, she realises that his reasons for becoming mayor might not be as clear as she first thought.
Posey and Gavin had a spark from the start, and despite their perfect first date, they knew that it would only cause problems by dating during the campaign. I liked the competitiveness between them, watching them flirt whilst trying to win over the town, and without knowing it, winning over each other. Piper knows how to build tension very well between enemies, and I liked watching their feelings develop over time.
This Alaskan small-town romance series keeps getting better. Anything small-town by Piper Rayne is a must read for me, the Bailey’s are going to have to make room for the Greene Family in my heart. The continuation of including Dori and Ethel, the meddling matchmaking Grandma’s makes me feel like I am going home to my own extended family, and I adored how Piper continues to give hints to each of the Greene’s siblings’ personalities. The hints at to what they are like and who they may end up with just keep you guessing but also invested in the whole family. Piper has been given us breadcrumbs of Xavier and Clara since book one which is so unfair, so that’s the couple I am most excited for next!