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In Love And War
I didn’t see it coming.
But, in all fairness, you could maybe, potentially, most definitely, say that I was just a little bit... distracted.
It was the dimple. I think.
Or it may have been his eyes.
God, those eyes.
...
Alright, fine. It was the whole damn thing, okay? Head to stupid toe.
The guy was gorgeous.
Like, the type of gorgeous that knocks the breath right out of your lungs and makes you forget how to string together even simple, semi-coherent sentences.
So, no, of course I didn't see it coming.
I didn't even know the arrogant, pompous, uptight jerk could fire me without my father putting a stop to it, let alone predict that he would do it to promote his own personal agenda.
But the second I figured it out was the second I started to plot my revenge.
Seven years later, I’m back. And I’m not the same infatuated teenager he thought he could so easily dispose of.
I’m here to fight. To take back what’s mine.
This is war, and Zackary Evans is going down.
But, in all fairness, you could maybe, potentially, most definitely, say that I was just a little bit... distracted.
It was the dimple. I think.
Or it may have been his eyes.
God, those eyes.
...
Alright, fine. It was the whole damn thing, okay? Head to stupid toe.
The guy was gorgeous.
Like, the type of gorgeous that knocks the breath right out of your lungs and makes you forget how to string together even simple, semi-coherent sentences.
So, no, of course I didn't see it coming.
I didn't even know the arrogant, pompous, uptight jerk could fire me without my father putting a stop to it, let alone predict that he would do it to promote his own personal agenda.
But the second I figured it out was the second I started to plot my revenge.
Seven years later, I’m back. And I’m not the same infatuated teenager he thought he could so easily dispose of.
I’m here to fight. To take back what’s mine.
This is war, and Zackary Evans is going down.
233 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 2020
About the author
Kyra Parsi
7 books2,050 followersKyra Parsi is a Canadian author of contemporary rom-com books.
She's also a closeted romantic with a minor (read: major) book hoarding problem. But don't worry, it's under control. She pinky promises.
Keeping up with Kyra's writing shenanigans:
Website -> https://kyraparsi.com/
FREE for newsletter subscribers!
She's also a closeted romantic with a minor (read: major) book hoarding problem. But don't worry, it's under control. She pinky promises.
Keeping up with Kyra's writing shenanigans:
Website -> https://kyraparsi.com/
FREE for newsletter subscribers!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews
February 13, 2021
Interesting beginning, decent middle and absolute garbage ending.
I really wasn't very fond of Amelia's dad here. You've been filling your teenage daughter's head with unrealistic expectations of taking over your company from a young age. She makes some stupid errors during her internship but no one works with her to correct them, least of all her boss, and she's just fucking 17! Then, her boss reams her out on her work ethic and gives her an overly harsh scathing performance review to her face in front of you, and you just sit there and pile on and call her spoiled and dismiss her? Are you fucking kidding me? You're going to blame her for being spoiled and not yourself for doing the spoiling, when you've also emotionally abandoned her after she lost her mother at a young age and you couldn't deal with the grief of losing your wife? Come the fuck on. And THEN you're going to matchmake between your daughter and your star employee when your own company rules forbid them from fraternizing. Just..what?!
I also don't buy that there was much between them in the end apart from inappropriate lust. The power imbalance between them made me more uncomfortable than anything else.
And that ending was just... garbage. The most unsatisfying conclusion/resolution I think I've ever read.
I really wasn't very fond of Amelia's dad here. You've been filling your teenage daughter's head with unrealistic expectations of taking over your company from a young age. She makes some stupid errors during her internship but no one works with her to correct them, least of all her boss, and she's just fucking 17! Then, her boss reams her out on her work ethic and gives her an overly harsh scathing performance review to her face in front of you, and you just sit there and pile on and call her spoiled and dismiss her? Are you fucking kidding me? You're going to blame her for being spoiled and not yourself for doing the spoiling, when you've also emotionally abandoned her after she lost her mother at a young age and you couldn't deal with the grief of losing your wife? Come the fuck on. And THEN you're going to matchmake between your daughter and your star employee when your own company rules forbid them from fraternizing. Just..what?!
I also don't buy that there was much between them in the end apart from inappropriate lust. The power imbalance between them made me more uncomfortable than anything else.
And that ending was just... garbage. The most unsatisfying conclusion/resolution I think I've ever read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2020
5⭐️
I love a book that grabs my attention and won’t let go! When all I want to do is ignore my family. Hide in my cozy reading spot and fall into the story. This is that book. The author is new to me and she’s writes clever, beautiful, snarky angst! My favorite, romance.
This was enemies to lovers. And this is my third workplace romance??? I loved it. I loved watching these two try to get at each other. The tension was great and the chemistry was even better. Loved, loved, loved the romance.
I highly recommend this book. Probably going to be one of my favorites of 2020.
Thank you BookSirens for this ARC, exchange for my honest review.
I love a book that grabs my attention and won’t let go! When all I want to do is ignore my family. Hide in my cozy reading spot and fall into the story. This is that book. The author is new to me and she’s writes clever, beautiful, snarky angst! My favorite, romance.
This was enemies to lovers. And this is my third workplace romance??? I loved it. I loved watching these two try to get at each other. The tension was great and the chemistry was even better. Loved, loved, loved the romance.
I highly recommend this book. Probably going to be one of my favorites of 2020.
Thank you BookSirens for this ARC, exchange for my honest review.
October 10, 2020
I liked this story and the funny banter of the female character. I wanted to keep reading and finished the book quickly but....
Parsi does a great job in the first few pages of making the reader want more of Amelia.
"The memory of the first time we met had been on a constant loop inside
my head for the last three days, fueling my nerves. Because my brain's
favorite pastime was to torture me. I was convinced of it" - Milly
"No watch, which had been surprising. The majority of the suited men that
hung around my father's office, including my father, wear the cost of my
tuition around their wrists." - Milly
"Zac was so hot. And he was going to be my boss! I just had to figure out
how to get my brain and mouth to work properly around him. Preferably
both at the same time." - Milly
So it starts out great, the chemistry is great. You want to know Zac's story and how he will stop being an ass and fall for Amelia.
But....
The sex scenes felt a little off. With all the chemistry between Zac and Amelia the sex felt choppy and not as full of emotion as it should have been.
Also the ending completely missed the mark. When they are in Amelia's fathers office (who is so amazing by the way) and he staring at her and they profess their love for each other, then it skips to the next morning in a meeting. WHAT!?!? We don't get to see and hear about the entire night of passionate love they made. I. WAS. MAD.
It goes from:
"You love me?"
I swallowed.
"You weren't supposed to hear that. I know it makes things weird for you..."
"You're stupid in love with me," He said it as a statement, his eyes searching mine.
His hands captured my face and his mouth was on mine before I could finish
the sentence. It was the kind of kiss you read about in books, times a million.
Fireworks, bells, butterflies, you name it. There was a parading circus inside
my stomach.
Then Zac tells her:
"I'm stupid in love with you too Amelia," he whispered.
"You are?" My heart was bursting.
"Stupidly, recklessly, crazily, foolishly, madly in love."
Then the book ends at the meeting with the dad. WRONG. I wanted to hear more confessions between the two of them. I want to hear more about their mothers. I wanted Amelia to confess she was jealous of the time Zac spent with her dad when they were young and Zac to understand her more because of that. I wanted to see her bestie Kai be introduced and see what Amelia was seeing. We didn't get to see Andrew figure it out. I just felt like the book ended right when it was getting good. ugh.
Just basically, the end. So sad.
So close, great elements, not quite there.
Parsi does a great job in the first few pages of making the reader want more of Amelia.
"The memory of the first time we met had been on a constant loop inside
my head for the last three days, fueling my nerves. Because my brain's
favorite pastime was to torture me. I was convinced of it" - Milly
"No watch, which had been surprising. The majority of the suited men that
hung around my father's office, including my father, wear the cost of my
tuition around their wrists." - Milly
"Zac was so hot. And he was going to be my boss! I just had to figure out
how to get my brain and mouth to work properly around him. Preferably
both at the same time." - Milly
So it starts out great, the chemistry is great. You want to know Zac's story and how he will stop being an ass and fall for Amelia.
But....
The sex scenes felt a little off. With all the chemistry between Zac and Amelia the sex felt choppy and not as full of emotion as it should have been.
Also the ending completely missed the mark. When they are in Amelia's fathers office (who is so amazing by the way) and he staring at her and they profess their love for each other, then it skips to the next morning in a meeting. WHAT!?!? We don't get to see and hear about the entire night of passionate love they made. I. WAS. MAD.
It goes from:
"You love me?"
I swallowed.
"You weren't supposed to hear that. I know it makes things weird for you..."
"You're stupid in love with me," He said it as a statement, his eyes searching mine.
His hands captured my face and his mouth was on mine before I could finish
the sentence. It was the kind of kiss you read about in books, times a million.
Fireworks, bells, butterflies, you name it. There was a parading circus inside
my stomach.
Then Zac tells her:
"I'm stupid in love with you too Amelia," he whispered.
"You are?" My heart was bursting.
"Stupidly, recklessly, crazily, foolishly, madly in love."
Then the book ends at the meeting with the dad. WRONG. I wanted to hear more confessions between the two of them. I want to hear more about their mothers. I wanted Amelia to confess she was jealous of the time Zac spent with her dad when they were young and Zac to understand her more because of that. I wanted to see her bestie Kai be introduced and see what Amelia was seeing. We didn't get to see Andrew figure it out. I just felt like the book ended right when it was getting good. ugh.
Just basically, the end. So sad.
So close, great elements, not quite there.
January 24, 2022
This story had a lot of promise and there were some bright spots, but the execution fell flat. The biggest problem is that the characters are flat and thinly-drawn; they don't have any unique characteristics outside of the roles they're supposed to play in the various tropes employed in this story, so when their enemy relationship starts to shift towards being lovers, I didn't understand what they saw in each other because they didn't have personalities. It's a total mystery when Zac's feelings developed into romantic love. It's like they hated each other, they banged, ???, Zac is being a big angsty baby (sitting in his car and occasionally standing in the freezing rain outside her apartment building for THREE HOURS? Why? Who does this?) and now they're in love.
Generally, the world of this book does not make sense. If Milly is 24 then she's 2-3 years out of college, but she's already on her second corporate position and she has an executive office next to the biggest star in the company even though she was fired as an intern? In the real world, she'd be the most hated person in the office because of the flagrant nepotism on display. I think the author could have tweaked their ages and added more detail to the actual work being done to make Milly more sympathetic in that regard; if she was in her late 20s or early 30s and she already had a few accomplishments under her belt, her being included in these massive projects would make more sense. Everyone says that Milly is very good at her job but we don't actually see the specifics of that (because I don't think the author did her research), and then she gets everything she wants thanks to her father refusing to accept her and Zac's resignations and changing the corporate fraternization policy. It screams of undeserved nepotism because we don't actually see Milly doing anything that deserves this extreme preferential treatment.
I especially disliked the inclusion of some extremely tepid other woman drama with the introduction of Milly's cousin Monica. There's enough angst to be found in the forbidden workplace romance, especially between two people whose identities are deeply tied to their professional success, and I wish the author had delved deeper into this rather than introducing another flat character who shows up for 3 scenes and poses no credible threat to the main relationship.
I would have given this story 3 stars but the ending ruined the entire book for me. Having Milly's father orchestrate the big reunion felt very rom-commy while being completely unearned. He neglected Milly for years in favor of Zac, and now things are all better because he approves of his daughter and his star employee being together, even though it's wildly unprofessional? And then Dad wants to get rid of the non-fraternization policy, which is standard at pretty much every large corporation for very, very good reasons, and reinstate them both after they both quit? There could have been stakes and consequences and real angst here but the author threw all of this out the window in favor of a pat conclusion where everyone gets what they want. And then the story just ends without an epilogue, so we don't even see if Zac and Milly go the distance. It was a wildly disappointing finish to a book that continually fell short of my expectations.
While reading, I got the sense that the author is fairly young and has not worked in the corporate world or done much research into what the culture is like there, because everyone feels far too young and far too inexperienced to be doing what they're doing. The big gestures felt very cliche and immature. People's backstories get dumped in monologues or large stretches of exposition, but that information mostly exists as after-the-fact explanations for people's behavior. I think most of these issues could be resolved if the author had given her characters enough depth to make them stand out from their tropes. Milly is just a stock rich girl character and Zac is your classic cold guy with an angsty backstory, who secretly loves our heroine for reasons that I could not understand. Because they are not unique, it is difficult to conceive of a romantic relationship between them or care about them succeeding as a couple.
The concept of the story is a compelling one, office enemies to lovers with the complication of familial relations and a long-running quest for revenge, but the author focused on all the wrong things. The relationship between Milly and her father should have been instrumental to the story, especially considering that he literally neglected her in favor of Zac for her entire childhood after Milly's mom died, but the dad only appears in a few scenes. Nearly a decade of emotional neglect is some deep fucking trauma, and it gets hand-waved away when Dear Old Dad basically says that mistakes were made. They're even eating at a restaurant where her dad goes all the time with Zac and not her! It felt incredibly hurtful to Milly but she didn't seem to register that. Emotionally neglecting your child is abuse, and experiencing that for years on end can result in complex PTSD and other massive mental health issues. Milly didn't seem to have any deep feelings about that situation, just a vague sadness about it.
I thought that Milly would have been a much, much more sympathetic character and the story would have been a lot richer and deeper if the author spent more time trying to untangle her issues with her dad and how they related to her self-worth, her worth as a professional, and her relationship with Zac. It is wild to me that she didn't seem to resent either her dad at all for literally abusing her for a decade, prioritizing his cleaning lady's son over his own daughter. Once Zac's backstory got dumped on her, she seemed to accept her dad's poor treatment without a second thought.
Man, the more I think about this book, the more annoyed I get. I have to stop reading highly-recommended books off r/RomanceBooks because I've hated them all so far.
Generally, the world of this book does not make sense. If Milly is 24 then she's 2-3 years out of college, but she's already on her second corporate position and she has an executive office next to the biggest star in the company even though she was fired as an intern? In the real world, she'd be the most hated person in the office because of the flagrant nepotism on display. I think the author could have tweaked their ages and added more detail to the actual work being done to make Milly more sympathetic in that regard; if she was in her late 20s or early 30s and she already had a few accomplishments under her belt, her being included in these massive projects would make more sense. Everyone says that Milly is very good at her job but we don't actually see the specifics of that (because I don't think the author did her research), and then she gets everything she wants thanks to her father refusing to accept her and Zac's resignations and changing the corporate fraternization policy. It screams of undeserved nepotism because we don't actually see Milly doing anything that deserves this extreme preferential treatment.
I especially disliked the inclusion of some extremely tepid other woman drama with the introduction of Milly's cousin Monica. There's enough angst to be found in the forbidden workplace romance, especially between two people whose identities are deeply tied to their professional success, and I wish the author had delved deeper into this rather than introducing another flat character who shows up for 3 scenes and poses no credible threat to the main relationship.
I would have given this story 3 stars but the ending ruined the entire book for me. Having Milly's father orchestrate the big reunion felt very rom-commy while being completely unearned. He neglected Milly for years in favor of Zac, and now things are all better because he approves of his daughter and his star employee being together, even though it's wildly unprofessional? And then Dad wants to get rid of the non-fraternization policy, which is standard at pretty much every large corporation for very, very good reasons, and reinstate them both after they both quit? There could have been stakes and consequences and real angst here but the author threw all of this out the window in favor of a pat conclusion where everyone gets what they want. And then the story just ends without an epilogue, so we don't even see if Zac and Milly go the distance. It was a wildly disappointing finish to a book that continually fell short of my expectations.
While reading, I got the sense that the author is fairly young and has not worked in the corporate world or done much research into what the culture is like there, because everyone feels far too young and far too inexperienced to be doing what they're doing. The big gestures felt very cliche and immature. People's backstories get dumped in monologues or large stretches of exposition, but that information mostly exists as after-the-fact explanations for people's behavior. I think most of these issues could be resolved if the author had given her characters enough depth to make them stand out from their tropes. Milly is just a stock rich girl character and Zac is your classic cold guy with an angsty backstory, who secretly loves our heroine for reasons that I could not understand. Because they are not unique, it is difficult to conceive of a romantic relationship between them or care about them succeeding as a couple.
The concept of the story is a compelling one, office enemies to lovers with the complication of familial relations and a long-running quest for revenge, but the author focused on all the wrong things. The relationship between Milly and her father should have been instrumental to the story, especially considering that he literally neglected her in favor of Zac for her entire childhood after Milly's mom died, but the dad only appears in a few scenes. Nearly a decade of emotional neglect is some deep fucking trauma, and it gets hand-waved away when Dear Old Dad basically says that mistakes were made. They're even eating at a restaurant where her dad goes all the time with Zac and not her! It felt incredibly hurtful to Milly but she didn't seem to register that. Emotionally neglecting your child is abuse, and experiencing that for years on end can result in complex PTSD and other massive mental health issues. Milly didn't seem to have any deep feelings about that situation, just a vague sadness about it.
I thought that Milly would have been a much, much more sympathetic character and the story would have been a lot richer and deeper if the author spent more time trying to untangle her issues with her dad and how they related to her self-worth, her worth as a professional, and her relationship with Zac. It is wild to me that she didn't seem to resent either her dad at all for literally abusing her for a decade, prioritizing his cleaning lady's son over his own daughter. Once Zac's backstory got dumped on her, she seemed to accept her dad's poor treatment without a second thought.
Man, the more I think about this book, the more annoyed I get. I have to stop reading highly-recommended books off r/RomanceBooks because I've hated them all so far.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2020
He's the spawn of Satan himself. If, you know, Satan was an insufferable, neurotic workaholic with a stick the size of Idaho up his ass."
I immensely enjoyed reading In Love and War. It was witty, entertaining and steamy, with amazing characters. Not to mention I am sucker for enemies-to-lovers type of romance, which was done so well in this book!
Amelia first met Zac when she was assigned as his personal assistant as part of her internship back in secondary school. Things do not go well and Zac ends up firing her, which propels her to do well in her studies so she can make her come back as a successful woman that makes Zac eat his words. As the 17 year old girl she was spoiled and felt entitled because her father owned the company. She thought that everything will fall into her lap without putting much work into it. However that was not the case and she felt the jobs assigned to her by Zac were beneath her. It was a good lesson to for her as that particular experience has molded her into the woman she would become 7 years later. The grown up Amelia is full of spunk and not afraid to stand up to Zac. The banter was amazing and I loved her sass. And she was not afraid to dish it out! I loved watching the transition from hate to love and how her budding relationship with Zac became more important than the revenge that has been in works ever since she was fired. She was even willing to risk her livelihood for him which really shows how much she has grown as a person.
Zac had a difficult time growing up and this has driven him to be as successful as he can be. He puts in 110% into everything he does and failure is not an option. He is quite successful professionally, having achieved things that usually take years to achieve in a record time. There's no obstacle too great for him to overcome and he does not let anything or anyone stand in his way. In all his life, his work was all that mattered and that holds true until Amelia comes back. He did not expect to have such a strong reaction towards her, but he couldn't ignore his growing feelings. The more time they were forced to spend together, the more the feelings grew. I really would have liked to have alternating POV as I would have loved to see what was going on in his head, even his first impression of her when he first met her when she was 17.
I was rooting for them from the start and I was bursting with emotions when it finally happened. The only thing I didn't like was that the book way too short for my liking and it ended rather abruptly. Especially because it was a standalone, I think it would have benefited from having an Epilogue. I would have liked to see how Zac and Amelia's relationship progressed. With the way it ended you barely had the time to enjoy the fact that they are finally together without having to hide their relationship. But I still would recommend this book as is it truly amazing!
*ARC provided through BookSirens in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
March 23, 2024
This book had such a great build up only to crash and burn at the end! It's one of the most disappointing things I've ever read. It had the potential to become an amazing enemies to lovers romance where the FMC battles her love for the MMC vs taking him down for the sake of her younger self along with them competing to take over the company. But no. It just ended abruptly with dad playing matchmaker. And don't even get my started on the dad. He had a daughter he emotionally neglected and put all his paternal feelings towards another boy and then have the audacity to fire his daughter that has been preparing to take over the company since childhood all because she make some little mistakes when she's literally a teenager? And i couldn't even get over the fact that Zac worked with Amelia as a teenager and his first thought when he saw her as an adult was to get a BJ? So fucking gross. And his whole explanation about firing her when she was younger was so dumb, "I had a bad night so I'm gonna fire you, humiliate you in front of your negligent father and destroy your future all for my personal goals". Ugh it started off great with the background and the cut to present when she has the potential to turn the tables but no. They hook up like twice and all of a sudden they're in love. Where's the build up? The swooning? We could have even gotten a nice jealousy thing with Monica but it ended as soon as it started. And then at the end with the dad saying I knew you were always in love with each other and it's totally not weird and I'm gonna change my company's rules because I'm gonna play favourites. Just stop. It's one of the most disappointing things I've ever read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2021
this was so dry and mediocre
May 8, 2024
Well, I was really liking all of the author's books so far but this one just pissed me off.
We follow Amelia who, after being fired from her internship by her father's favorite employee, comes back seven years later for revenge. I liked Amelia and her work ethic, and while I wasn't sold on Zachary from the onset, I was willing to give him a chance. Boy was I wrong.
If a man ever had the GALL to say right to my face that the only reason I was put on a project was because our client wants to sleep with me, I would drive my foot so far up his ass he would taste it. Any sort of feelings I thought I had for him would shrivel up and disintegrate instantly. Zachary saw how hard working Amelia, she was the first to come and the last to leave every day, her presentations were on point, her ideas hit the mark but it didn't matter. I don't care if Zachary said it because he was jealous, an accusation of the sort means only one thing to me : you do not respect my abilities; you believe yourself so high over me that you cannot fathom I may have some sort of actual capabilities; you are, in short, a misogynist. And no author can never ever make misogyny look sexy in ANY context. And to top it all off, they kiss after their shouting match. I actually want to tear my head off right now. This situation just hit too close to home for me, and for that I cannot in good conscience give this book above one star.
We follow Amelia who, after being fired from her internship by her father's favorite employee, comes back seven years later for revenge. I liked Amelia and her work ethic, and while I wasn't sold on Zachary from the onset, I was willing to give him a chance. Boy was I wrong.
If a man ever had the GALL to say right to my face that the only reason I was put on a project was because our client wants to sleep with me, I would drive my foot so far up his ass he would taste it. Any sort of feelings I thought I had for him would shrivel up and disintegrate instantly. Zachary saw how hard working Amelia, she was the first to come and the last to leave every day, her presentations were on point, her ideas hit the mark but it didn't matter. I don't care if Zachary said it because he was jealous, an accusation of the sort means only one thing to me : you do not respect my abilities; you believe yourself so high over me that you cannot fathom I may have some sort of actual capabilities; you are, in short, a misogynist. And no author can never ever make misogyny look sexy in ANY context. And to top it all off, they kiss after their shouting match. I actually want to tear my head off right now. This situation just hit too close to home for me, and for that I cannot in good conscience give this book above one star.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2021
I just could not continue.
I felt no connection. Chemistry is forced. This was not an enemy to lovers story. It was two horny people who got together. The end.
Milly thinks she has an internship all set and sealed at her dad’s company, but she does something and gets fired by the hero. Zach complained about Milly to her dad and dad fires Mollie. Dad calls his daughter spoiled, but blames himself (kind-of) for spoiling his daughter after mom died.
Anyway, 7 years later, Milly gets her degree, gets some experience, and wants back in daddy’s company.
Basically, Milly hates Zach and she wants revenge.
I felt no connection. Chemistry is forced. This was not an enemy to lovers story. It was two horny people who got together. The end.
Milly thinks she has an internship all set and sealed at her dad’s company, but she does something and gets fired by the hero. Zach complained about Milly to her dad and dad fires Mollie. Dad calls his daughter spoiled, but blames himself (kind-of) for spoiling his daughter after mom died.
Anyway, 7 years later, Milly gets her degree, gets some experience, and wants back in daddy’s company.
Basically, Milly hates Zach and she wants revenge.
July 6, 2021
This was an ok read...it could have been 4 stars but just didn't quite get there.
I love workplace relationships and enemies to lovers so it would be hard for me to rate this lower, it had all the components that I look for in these type of plots but it just lacked something for me. I think it could have been more fleshed out, better world building or something.
It was cute...you didn't get Zac's pov but you could tell the brooding and mean stuff was because he was into her.
A fast easy low angst read.
I love workplace relationships and enemies to lovers so it would be hard for me to rate this lower, it had all the components that I look for in these type of plots but it just lacked something for me. I think it could have been more fleshed out, better world building or something.
It was cute...you didn't get Zac's pov but you could tell the brooding and mean stuff was because he was into her.
A fast easy low angst read.
July 26, 2022
okay, but too short and questionable male lead
I’m a huge lover of enemies to romance books. This one was just ok. I wanted to love it but Zac was a bit of a bully-especially being in the management position and their initial meeting being when Milly was pretty young. I also didn’t like how incredibly fast it ended. Very “and they lived happily ever after.” Just so abrupt. It had potential but just wasn’t quite it for me.
I’m a huge lover of enemies to romance books. This one was just ok. I wanted to love it but Zac was a bit of a bully-especially being in the management position and their initial meeting being when Milly was pretty young. I also didn’t like how incredibly fast it ended. Very “and they lived happily ever after.” Just so abrupt. It had potential but just wasn’t quite it for me.
October 6, 2024
Trigger Warnings:
As a fellow Canadian, I loved that this book took place in Toronto. I wanted to rate this 5 stars but it felt like it was missing some things. I loved the FMC Amelia or Milly, she is so petty and sassy, she matched the energy of the MMC Zac. Zac was your typical cold-hearted boss that was hot. He didn’t have much of a personality but that was cuz we didn’t see many conversations between Milly and Zac. I feel like the meaningful conversations happened near the end of the book. The conversations they had throughout the story were very surface-level or brushed over as a summary. Zac and Milly’s relationship felt more insta-lovey, I wish they had more of a connection. The ending was rushed, I would have liked to see more past the ending since I had questions. Despite all of that, this book made me laugh and had me smiling, it was so much fun to read and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Milly had an internship at her father’s company Bloom & Co where he promised she would be CEO one day. But after working under Zac for her internship, things go bad and she vows to take Zac down. 7 years later, Milly is back and is ready to take Zac down.
Now for spoilers
Stay safe folks!
As a fellow Canadian, I loved that this book took place in Toronto. I wanted to rate this 5 stars but it felt like it was missing some things. I loved the FMC Amelia or Milly, she is so petty and sassy, she matched the energy of the MMC Zac. Zac was your typical cold-hearted boss that was hot. He didn’t have much of a personality but that was cuz we didn’t see many conversations between Milly and Zac. I feel like the meaningful conversations happened near the end of the book. The conversations they had throughout the story were very surface-level or brushed over as a summary. Zac and Milly’s relationship felt more insta-lovey, I wish they had more of a connection. The ending was rushed, I would have liked to see more past the ending since I had questions. Despite all of that, this book made me laugh and had me smiling, it was so much fun to read and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Milly had an internship at her father’s company Bloom & Co where he promised she would be CEO one day. But after working under Zac for her internship, things go bad and she vows to take Zac down. 7 years later, Milly is back and is ready to take Zac down.
Now for spoilers
Stay safe folks!
November 26, 2024
I think Kyra Parsi is easily becoming my favorite new romance author. I love her FMC’s so much - they’re fun, relatable, and usually hilarious. The men aren’t bad either. 😌
It looks like this was her second book, and she’s definitely grown since this one because her Billionaire Bosses series shows a lot of improvement. This was enjoyable and I still loved the characters, but it felt like it was missing an entire act. It needed another 100-150 pages for it to be a complete story.
It went from banging it out a couple of times, to BAM 3rd act with no warning. I was just like “where is all this emotion coming from!?” because the lovey bits sprouted up out of nothing, and then it ended kind of abruptly. (Also needed a proofreading, but that’s me just picking at things)
Still worth a read even with the issues. I can’t wait to read whatever she has coming up next. ❤️
It looks like this was her second book, and she’s definitely grown since this one because her Billionaire Bosses series shows a lot of improvement. This was enjoyable and I still loved the characters, but it felt like it was missing an entire act. It needed another 100-150 pages for it to be a complete story.
It went from banging it out a couple of times, to BAM 3rd act with no warning. I was just like “where is all this emotion coming from!?” because the lovey bits sprouted up out of nothing, and then it ended kind of abruptly. (Also needed a proofreading, but that’s me just picking at things)
Still worth a read even with the issues. I can’t wait to read whatever she has coming up next. ❤️
January 15, 2026
This is so bad. The author apparently did no research into working at an ad agency when writing this book. I love a good hate-to-love, workplace romance but the lack of authenticity in the work environment pulled me right out of the story.
June 27, 2025
SMASSHHHHH
February 9, 2025
2.5 stars | I am so so so disappointed. The boss-employee dynamic rubbed me the wrong way, especially when he keeps ordering her around reinforcing the power dynamic.
Both of them had no character traits. Boring shells of personalities. The ending was underwhelming.
Both of them had no character traits. Boring shells of personalities. The ending was underwhelming.
February 18, 2021
Amelia (Milly) Bloom always knew she would work at her family’s advertisement firm, Bloom & Co. But when she became an intern at 17-years old, she wasn’t welcomed with open arms by her boss, Zac Evans. He was rude, pompous, and unnecessarily cruel. And Milly was fired before she even had a chance to get settled.
Over the next 7-years, Milly worked her butt off to make a name for herself. Now she’s being rehired at Bloom & Co and she’s working with Zac yet again. But this time Milly isn’t a teenager and she has one goal—to see Zac gone. Except life has other plans. Instead of kicking Zac to the curb, she ends up giving him her heart.
In Love and War by Kyra Parsi is a short and steamy enemies to lovers, workplace romance. This was a quick and enjoyable read. It’s told through Milly’s POV, but I would’ve loved to see through Zac’s perspective too. I enjoyed the bits and pieces of both their touching backstories. I think I would’ve fallen in love with this story if it had been longer because I would’ve given Milly and Zac’s relationship more time to develop. With that said, this was a fun read and I’ll definitely read more from this new author in the future! 4/5 stars.
Over the next 7-years, Milly worked her butt off to make a name for herself. Now she’s being rehired at Bloom & Co and she’s working with Zac yet again. But this time Milly isn’t a teenager and she has one goal—to see Zac gone. Except life has other plans. Instead of kicking Zac to the curb, she ends up giving him her heart.
In Love and War by Kyra Parsi is a short and steamy enemies to lovers, workplace romance. This was a quick and enjoyable read. It’s told through Milly’s POV, but I would’ve loved to see through Zac’s perspective too. I enjoyed the bits and pieces of both their touching backstories. I think I would’ve fallen in love with this story if it had been longer because I would’ve given Milly and Zac’s relationship more time to develop. With that said, this was a fun read and I’ll definitely read more from this new author in the future! 4/5 stars.
February 10, 2021
i went into this thinking it was a walmart hating game and it kinda was lol but the fast pace is exactly what I needed and the love interest was perfect with the right blend of mean and devoted. i love you walmart josh templeman
June 25, 2024
I was slowly going into a reading slump, so I needed a quick, fun book to read. I didn't love the setup with this one (24 year old boss firing his teenage intern very harshly), and I'm generally not into workplace romances. But Kyra Parsi keeps proving me wrong. The chemistry and banter are so well done. She somehow always makes me cry. At a romcom!!
I would have liked them to have more of a slow burn and maybe have hero's pov a few times since it felt like Amelia loved him more at times. He speaks very harshly and rude to her a few times, which annoyed me. But, it was quick and fun. I smiled, laughed, and teared up. A solid 4-star read!
I would have liked them to have more of a slow burn and maybe have hero's pov a few times since it felt like Amelia loved him more at times. He speaks very harshly and rude to her a few times, which annoyed me. But, it was quick and fun. I smiled, laughed, and teared up. A solid 4-star read!
November 19, 2024
I did really enjoy this one! Had some laugh out loud moments, enjoyed the connection and spice.
I felt uncomfy with the age gap at times and with some of the incredibly rude and misogynistic assumptions made by the mmc.. I know that they resolved by the end but I found myself hesitating to root for him for a good chunk of the book.
But otherwise it's a really good enemies to lovers :)
I felt uncomfy with the age gap at times and with some of the incredibly rude and misogynistic assumptions made by the mmc.. I know that they resolved by the end but I found myself hesitating to root for him for a good chunk of the book.
But otherwise it's a really good enemies to lovers :)
October 11, 2023
This was so good I read it all in one night! I had been feeling down and this pulled me out of those feelings and kept me captivated, so I'll give it 5 stars even though the writing was plain and nothing out of the ordinary really happened.
July 27, 2024
Meh. A decent story but with problematic elements and a rushed, unsatisfying ending.
First off, who the hell gives a 17 year old intern a key role in a major project/client pitch and then brutally lays into her for bungling the deadline when it was changed and not only fires her, but includes scathing notes in her HR file? That would be the H, Zac.
What the hell is wrong with Millie's father? Who tells a high school kid that they will take over a massive high-profile company when they graduate high school? Who buried himself in work after her mother/his wife died when Millie was a kid, never gets her therapy, and is basically an absentee father, yet finds time to be a father figure to Zac after he learns that his mother works at the company as a cleaner and they have money issues? He finds time to take 10 year old Zac to lunches regularly but has no time for his own kid grieving the loss of her mother? Who allows Zac to fire her, a kid, in such a brutal fashion and agrees with Zac that she's spoiled and has no work ethic, yet accepts no real blame for raising her that way? Yet in the story, he's painted as a good guy. Nope.
I also generally don't like "body betrayal", as in when a character hates another character yet is so attracted to them that they can't help themselves from not only physically responding to it, but acting on that too. For most people, if you've been nursing a grudge for 7+ years and it's strong enough to motivate you to go from a slacker to an Ivy League college graduate who goes on to get a master's degree and lands a huge job with a big firm where you make a name for yourself in your industry - how do you just set that aside because "his eyes...." or a muscly chest or whatever.
Speaking of all of that, her age doesn't add up.. She's 24 when she comes back to work for her father's firm so in 6 years since graduating HS at presumably age 18, she's gotten a bachelor's and a masters degree and has a few years of high-profile experience at a major firm under her belt?
Millie quits her awesome job for the sole purpose of going back to her father's firm, this time triumphant, with the intention to be in a position to take over the company when he retires. Of course, it doesn't take long before she ends up reporting to Zac and things develop from there.
She works long hours, generally kicks ass, brings up good ideas and points, and generally excels across the board. Yet. Zac treats her like crap and accuses her of sleeping her way to the top at her previous firm, all because he's attracted to her when he shouldn't be and he's jealous that she has remained friendly with her former boss, who they now have to work with on some big collaboration project. WTAF? If someone accused me of something like that, especially in the face of obvious and clear qualifications and contributions, I would want to punt them into the next zip code. What I would NOT want to do is jump into bed with them.
Despite him being a dick to her and saying horrible things about her, and despite her grudge/hatred, they end up having sex because she can't resist the physical attraction. Hard no from me.
The fact that he's her boss, that he originally met her when she was 17 and he was around 24, and that they both work for her father - that all frankly gave me a bit of the ick with their relationship.
I also hated that the only thing that made him drop his ugly jealousy thing was her telling him that her former boss is gay. Talk about fragile masculinity. This same exact thing plays out again when they are at her father's house party, which she attends with her BFF, who is a gay man. Of course Zac doesn't know this and again gets all jealous until she can reassure him by again telling him that another man in her life is gay. So then I guess she's only allowed to hang out with straight women and gay men so he doesn't get triggered? Ridiculous.
The ending felt rushed and her father again was a jerk since he
Her father was such an asshole to her, really, and there needed to have been an acknowledgment of that in the story instead of painting him as some kind-hearted father figure. He also said something to her about
Everything wraps up in a few pages after she Bam, the end. Very unsatisfying.
First off, who the hell gives a 17 year old intern a key role in a major project/client pitch and then brutally lays into her for bungling the deadline when it was changed and not only fires her, but includes scathing notes in her HR file? That would be the H, Zac.
What the hell is wrong with Millie's father? Who tells a high school kid that they will take over a massive high-profile company when they graduate high school? Who buried himself in work after her mother/his wife died when Millie was a kid, never gets her therapy, and is basically an absentee father, yet finds time to be a father figure to Zac after he learns that his mother works at the company as a cleaner and they have money issues? He finds time to take 10 year old Zac to lunches regularly but has no time for his own kid grieving the loss of her mother? Who allows Zac to fire her, a kid, in such a brutal fashion and agrees with Zac that she's spoiled and has no work ethic, yet accepts no real blame for raising her that way? Yet in the story, he's painted as a good guy. Nope.
I also generally don't like "body betrayal", as in when a character hates another character yet is so attracted to them that they can't help themselves from not only physically responding to it, but acting on that too. For most people, if you've been nursing a grudge for 7+ years and it's strong enough to motivate you to go from a slacker to an Ivy League college graduate who goes on to get a master's degree and lands a huge job with a big firm where you make a name for yourself in your industry - how do you just set that aside because "his eyes...." or a muscly chest or whatever.
Speaking of all of that, her age doesn't add up.. She's 24 when she comes back to work for her father's firm so in 6 years since graduating HS at presumably age 18, she's gotten a bachelor's and a masters degree and has a few years of high-profile experience at a major firm under her belt?
Millie quits her awesome job for the sole purpose of going back to her father's firm, this time triumphant, with the intention to be in a position to take over the company when he retires. Of course, it doesn't take long before she ends up reporting to Zac and things develop from there.
She works long hours, generally kicks ass, brings up good ideas and points, and generally excels across the board. Yet. Zac treats her like crap and accuses her of sleeping her way to the top at her previous firm, all because he's attracted to her when he shouldn't be and he's jealous that she has remained friendly with her former boss, who they now have to work with on some big collaboration project. WTAF? If someone accused me of something like that, especially in the face of obvious and clear qualifications and contributions, I would want to punt them into the next zip code. What I would NOT want to do is jump into bed with them.
Despite him being a dick to her and saying horrible things about her, and despite her grudge/hatred, they end up having sex because she can't resist the physical attraction. Hard no from me.
The fact that he's her boss, that he originally met her when she was 17 and he was around 24, and that they both work for her father - that all frankly gave me a bit of the ick with their relationship.
I also hated that the only thing that made him drop his ugly jealousy thing was her telling him that her former boss is gay. Talk about fragile masculinity. This same exact thing plays out again when they are at her father's house party, which she attends with her BFF, who is a gay man. Of course Zac doesn't know this and again gets all jealous until she can reassure him by again telling him that another man in her life is gay. So then I guess she's only allowed to hang out with straight women and gay men so he doesn't get triggered? Ridiculous.
The ending felt rushed and her father again was a jerk since he
Her father was such an asshole to her, really, and there needed to have been an acknowledgment of that in the story instead of painting him as some kind-hearted father figure. He also said something to her about
Everything wraps up in a few pages after she Bam, the end. Very unsatisfying.
April 13, 2025
As much as I enjoyed it, the relationship was definitely lacking or better there wasn’t anything. We literally got nothing, besides them going back and forth in the office and nothing outside of that. And there was no single POV from the MMC.
January 3, 2025
yet another…
And yet another fantastic read from Kyra! I get so caught up in these novels of hers that it’s insane! Give it a read. You won’t regret it, but you might shed a tear or two.
And yet another fantastic read from Kyra! I get so caught up in these novels of hers that it’s insane! Give it a read. You won’t regret it, but you might shed a tear or two.
October 14, 2024
I enjoyed this but the ending is so disappointing I thought my Kindle was glitching because the next page was the author's page.
It was like climbing up and up a beautiful mountain only for you to fall into a pit of nothingness. Like having a rug pulled out from under my feet. It's not a bad ending per se but I kind of went, what?! All that for nothing? I'm so sad ;(
It was like climbing up and up a beautiful mountain only for you to fall into a pit of nothingness. Like having a rug pulled out from under my feet. It's not a bad ending per se but I kind of went, what?! All that for nothing? I'm so sad ;(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2021
This was a solid read. I liked that the author gave both characters room to “grow up” in the unwritten years between their initial meeting. I felt like there could’ve been more development in their relationship, but it was still (...mostly) believable
🌶🌶🌶/5 spicy
Would read again?: probably not anytime soon, but I may eventually
🌶🌶🌶/5 spicy
Would read again?: probably not anytime soon, but I may eventually
September 15, 2022
I can’t believe this book isn’t more popular! For those who loved The Hating Game, this one is a must read
This was a perfect enemies-to-lovers office rivals rom-com. The whole time I was reading it I was imagining it in my head like a movie
Bonus points for a couple well placed “good girl”s, a scene in the rain and a really cute “I love you” moment which put a stupid dopey smile on my face
Amelia first meets Zac when she is 17 and interns for him at her father’s company. She’s young and awkward, like your typical teenager, and crushes hard on Zac at first.. until she works for him and decides he’s a demanding asshat. She gets fired and vows her revenge
7 years later and a major glow up later and Amelia is back at her fathers company, working next to Zac. There’s obvious attraction & thick sexual tension between them. I liked their banter and I liked how it was always on the flirty side more than mean and petty.
Eventually they get to know each other and can’t fight their attraction anymore - but there is a non fraternization policy at work (of course) so they have to keep it secret.
There is a little bit of angst and a misunderstanding which is resolved pretty quickly and easily, making this an easy and really enjoyable read. I see it being a favorite reread in the future
This was a perfect enemies-to-lovers office rivals rom-com. The whole time I was reading it I was imagining it in my head like a movie
Bonus points for a couple well placed “good girl”s, a scene in the rain and a really cute “I love you” moment which put a stupid dopey smile on my face
Amelia first meets Zac when she is 17 and interns for him at her father’s company. She’s young and awkward, like your typical teenager, and crushes hard on Zac at first.. until she works for him and decides he’s a demanding asshat. She gets fired and vows her revenge
7 years later and a major glow up later and Amelia is back at her fathers company, working next to Zac. There’s obvious attraction & thick sexual tension between them. I liked their banter and I liked how it was always on the flirty side more than mean and petty.
Eventually they get to know each other and can’t fight their attraction anymore - but there is a non fraternization policy at work (of course) so they have to keep it secret.
There is a little bit of angst and a misunderstanding which is resolved pretty quickly and easily, making this an easy and really enjoyable read. I see it being a favorite reread in the future
October 21, 2020
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
In Love and War will have readers laughing out loud. Kyra Parsi sets up a great premise for a love/hate relationship between two co-workers who work at the same company. Milly hates Zac. Zac sees Milly as a spoiled brat with no talent for working in an advertising and public relations business.
Being the soon-to-be high school graduate daughter of the owner Milly chooses to intern there for the summer. When her father places her in what she feels is a menial job Milly still tries to do her best for her a demanding boss. Her boss, Zac isn't happy with Milly's work and lets her know in a most humiliating way. Milly sets up a revenge plan that takes years to execute. She's the last thing on Zac's mind until she returns older, wittier, and even more attractive. The real fun begins at this point as the same old love/hate vibe begins fills the air when they are thrust together to work on an important project.
There were some explicit scenes in the book, but the storyline itself made the book a fun read. This book would appeal to anyone who enjoys a good love story with some good humor mixed in.
In Love and War will have readers laughing out loud. Kyra Parsi sets up a great premise for a love/hate relationship between two co-workers who work at the same company. Milly hates Zac. Zac sees Milly as a spoiled brat with no talent for working in an advertising and public relations business.
Being the soon-to-be high school graduate daughter of the owner Milly chooses to intern there for the summer. When her father places her in what she feels is a menial job Milly still tries to do her best for her a demanding boss. Her boss, Zac isn't happy with Milly's work and lets her know in a most humiliating way. Milly sets up a revenge plan that takes years to execute. She's the last thing on Zac's mind until she returns older, wittier, and even more attractive. The real fun begins at this point as the same old love/hate vibe begins fills the air when they are thrust together to work on an important project.
There were some explicit scenes in the book, but the storyline itself made the book a fun read. This book would appeal to anyone who enjoys a good love story with some good humor mixed in.
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