From Hate to Date

by Mika Lane

What happens when the only way to save your business is to team up with the a*sholes next door?

I, Livvy Fontaine, am single, successful, and self-confident. Running my shop, Pawsh Pets, is busy and fulfilling.

Dating disasters aside, nothing can upset the perfect equilibrium that is my life.
I deal in Swarovski-studded dog collars and cashmere cat beds in an upscale neighborhood where people put their pets before their own mothers.
Here, the only thing more rampant than gossip are unpicked-up piles of dog poo.
But that’s okay. I stick to myself, and am careful where I walk.
Until I get blamed for the mess on some guy’s shoe. Turns out he and his buddies are the “celebrity chefs” at Perle, the pretentious restaurant next door, where they serve live baby octopus, veal tongue carpaccio, and snail caviar.
And they want to expand. Right into Pawsh Pets.
Their genius idea? To buy me out and expand their restaurant empire.
But my territory is not up for grabs. I don’t care how delicious these guys are.

Just as I gear up to tell them where to shove their duck served in blood sauce, in swoops a corporate vulture with deep pockets who wants to buy up the whole block.
I have two choices.
Lose everything I’ve worked for.
Or, team up with the carnivores next door.
Turns out love and war cook at the same temperature.
The question is, can I take the heat? This slow-burn why choose romance features a plucky main character with multiple love interests. If you like to indulge your secret bad-girl side, this is the book for you.

Genres: Romance, Reverse Harem, Why Choose, Enemies To Lovers, Audiobook, Contemporary

350 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 2, 2023

About the author

Dear Reader:
I’m USA TODAY bestselling contemporary romance author Mika Lane, and am all about bringing you sexy, sassy stories with imperfect heroines and the bad-a*s dudes they bring to their knees. And I have a special love for romance with multiple guys because why should we have to settle for just one hunky man? 

Please join my Insider Group and be the first to hear about giveaways, sales, pre-orders, ARCs, and most importantly, a free sexy short story: http://mikalane.com/join-mailing-list/.
Writing has been a passion of mine since, well, forever (my first book was The Day I Ate the Milkyway, a true fourth-grade masterpiece). These days, steamy romance, both dark and funny, gives purpose to my days and nights as I create worlds and characters who defy the imagination. I live in magical Northern California with my own handsome alpha dude, sometimes known as Mr. Mika Lane, and two devilish cats named Chuck and Murray. These three males also defy my imagination from time to time.

A lover of shiny things, I've been known to try new recipes on unsuspecting friends, find hiding places so I can read undisturbed, and spend my last dollar on a plane ticket somewhere.

I'll always promise you a hot, sexy romp and some version of a modern-day happily ever after.

I LOVE to hear from readers when I'm not dreaming up naughty tales to share. Join my Insider Group so we can get to know each other better http://mikalane.com/join-mailing-list, or contact me here: https://mikalane.com/contact.

xoxo
Love,
Mika

Reviews

[Karly · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Hate to Date is a slow-burn, why choose rom com. It is part of Mika Lane's Why Choose 3-book standalone collection.

This book is told in first person, primarily from the POV of Livvy—a sassy, quirky posh pet boutique owner in NYC. She ends up having to partner up with her boutique's neighbor, three attractive "bistro boys" to save their businesses from a developer. She also ends up dating all three 😏.

Book tropes to call out:
👉 Why Choose
👉 Slow Burn
👉 Opposites Attract
👉 Miscommunication

Overall, I have mixed feelings about this book and Mika Lane's writing style. The book had some great qualities and moments, but it also had some that fell short for me.

What I enjoyed:
✔️ Livvy's quirkiness
✔️ The dynamic between four business owners having to lean on one another
✔️ The quirky side characters (e.g., Livvy's friends, the old female shop customer)
✔️ Multiple, first-person POVs (the FMC and three MMCs)

What fell short:
⚫ Mika Lane's word choices and sayings missed the mark, for me, in many instances and pulled me out of the story. Two examples:
💬"Hanky panky is the last thing on our minds."
💬"But that doesn't mean we can't have some other adult fun in my little office today."

⚫ The story felt like it jumped too quickly—especially the romance between the characters and the resolution with the developer.

⚫ The story lacked a true climax, in my opinion. As a result, it felt anti-climatic.

⚫ I would've appreciated more character development. Some personal details were introduced, like each of the character's family dynamics, but I don't feel like I can truly distinguish the three MMCs from one another.

⚫ Personally, I didn't love the moments the MMCs' spoke about Livvy's body, regardless if it was positive or not. It didn't feel necessary to bring attention to it.

This book is available on KU for those who have a subscription.

Thank you to Mika and her team for sending me a free copy of her book. My review is entirely voluntary and not paid.

[Vivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

The way to reach this woman. Is definitely through her stomach and seeing them literally making new dishes to be able to feed her when she's vegan/vegeterian is so fucking cute and I'm so here for it.

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is part of The Why Choose Chronicles and the main characters are Livvy Fontaine who has opened her dream pet boutique, Pawsh Pets, and friends Owen, Weston and Enzo, who have opened up their own trendy restaurant, Eastside. Livvy has made her way mostly by herself, especially when she has a mother and sister who didn’t believe she would amount to anything. Her sister even insists on setting her up with her husband’s friends who are the dregs of the dating pool! The men have investors, but each has their own skills to bring to the restaurant, Weston is the money man and great with the figures and ordering, Enzo is the creative chef, whilst Owen is the front of house manager and came from a poor background, having to struggle for everything he has. Livvy’s shop assistant Jewel, is not exactly the perfect employee, with her frequent last minute absences and odd comments to people, using her supposed acting skills. Pawsh Pets is not exactly making a profit and Livvy is chucking bills and overdue notices into a drawer, not quite getting the customers in that she needs. The restaurant next door is thinking of expanding and the men come to ask her if she would consider taking a deal to allow them to expand into her shop. Not news that makes her exactly happy!

But before that can really become an issue, news of a developer wanting to buy out the whole block to build posh apartments, brings them together in a united front to fight this. The men don’t really know Livvy well, even though their restaurant has been right next door to her. All they ever see is a scruffy woman in socks and Birkenstocks. She is also a vegetarian and Eastside uses some unusual meats and seafood in their menu, which always makes her shop smell. They ask her to come round for a drink and some veggie nibbles to discuss what they might be able to do about the developer. Livvy’s inhibitions are broken around the three handsome men, and when one of them kisses her, she doesn’t turn away, leaving one of the others asking where his kiss is and getting one in return! They hope that since the buildings are old and weren’t allowed to be altered much, it could help stop the developer. Unfortunately, it seems someone is playing dirty and the local mayor and even Livvy’s landlord are applying the pressure on them to give up the fight. The relationship between Livvy and all three men continues, with all of them interested in sharing her, and Livvy happy to be with all of them. Everything seems to be going well on the relationship side, but not as well on the business side as the other side. Some trust issues bring problems, but before they can implode over all of them, a solution is brought about that all can live with, and the guilty parties are revealed by the close community they have built around them. A nice tale of an unusual relationship and businesses that wouldn’t normally work well together, coming up with some inventive ways to do so. Lovely characters and some background for each, without going overboard, allows you to see how well they connect and the freedom to fill in the gaps. I look forward to reading more of the author’s books in the future. I received an ARC copy of this book form BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Danielle Graves · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading From Hate to Date. From the beginning, it was clear why the men of Eastside—Enzo, Owen, and Weston—would be tagged with the 'hate' label. All three of them are exceptionally handsome, and they are all successful too, giving off an arrogant air that is only amplified when they decide they want to take over the pet shop next door in order to expand their restaurant, completely ignorant and uncaring about how it will affect the owner of the shop, Livvy. Livvy, for the most part, seems a little whiny; she's down-trodden, having to always fight to achieve her dreams and constantly being spoken down to and thought little of because of her circumstances, yet she's actually amazing, and the people who really know her can't help but love her, as the Eastside boys soon find out when they start to get to know her.





It has an element of enemies to lovers about it, but the story is more about the characters having misjudged the others and discovering about not only them but themselves too. They share a little about their pasts, but it's not in-depth. The main focus of the book is trying to overcome the developers trying to destroy both businesses, as well as the growing closeness and relationship between the four of them.





It's not overly detailed, although I did appreciate the different POVs that helped me understand the different characters' thoughts and feelings, and it was easy to understand the growing attraction towards Livvy even if she didn't understand or believe it. Spice-wise, there were a few hot scenes, although there were never really any group interactions apart from the others watching when she was with one of them. A lot of 'why-choose' would have scenes with two men taking her at the same time, and this story didn't do that, which was refreshing because it was clear to see the situation was new to Livvy, and despite her being a little bit brazen, she wasn't completely confident.

[Curvy Girl Book Nerd (Jen S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Hate to Date is a spicy slow-burn, why choose/reverse harem, OTT, enemies-to-lovers rom com. Livvy is a smart and sassy girl who runs a posh pet boutique in NYC. Her neighbors are 3 hot and arrogant chefs, Enzo, Owen, and Weston, who run the hot restaurant Perle. They want to buy out her shop to expand their restaurant and she is not having it...fast forward and she finds that another party wants to buy the whole block. So she turns to the guys to team up and save their businesses. I have mixed feelings on this book. It was not a typical reverse harem romance as she only had one partner at a time, but the others watched. It felt more like a voyeuristic romance. The banter was funny as well as the animals, but I didn't feel a lot of chemistry between the 4. There was not as much steam as expected, although it was hot when present. The story seemed more focused on the cause versus the romance to me. That being said, it was still an enjoyable read.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amy Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic!

I loved this book! Mika does it again - giving us an amazing story full of love, laughs and a bit of trouble. Livvy’s trouble starts with the three men next door - Enzo, Weston and Owen, when they try to buy her upscale pet boutique from her in order to expand their restaurant. But they aren’t the only ones she’s having trouble with. They will team up to defend both their businesses from a developer and soon Livvy finds herself involved with them in a totally unexpected way. Good ideas will have fun things happening in the neighborhood but they come with a bit of the bad. In the end, it will take just one little old lady to turn everything around for both businesses and set them all on the right track for their happily ever after. Add in some unique dogs and one temperamental cat and you get a great story that is well worth reading.

I read an ARC copy of this book and am volunteering my honest review.

[Jenifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story, however, it was missing that spark that made it great for me. The first book I read by Mika Lane was steamy and I love the reverse harem set up in it. However, this one fell flat for me in the steaminess and love arena. I loved the interactions of the two businesses and the community fighting to save the block and their eventual collaboration. But when you love the back story more so than the characters and their supposed love story to me that doesn't scream that this is a romance. I also found a bit of awkwardness in the love scenes since there was only one on one with the other two men watching, except for their first interaction in the booth at the restaurant. That just screamed weird to me and kinda left me with a creepy voyeuristic vibe. I'll give the next book in this series a chance, and I'm hoping that it has some of the magic that the first one did.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa Petty (Book Bangers Blog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you have to dance with the devil in this case three of them. For Livvy, it's the three chefs whose restaurant is next door to her pet store. But it's more than that, they are arrogant and rude, and their smell comes into the vents and makes her want to puke. Owen, Weston, and Enzo made their dreams come true by opening up a place that called to them. They each have their histories trials and tribulations. But when the sassy girl next door comes to tell them the news of their block going up for sale well they will have to move aside their difference and attempt to work together. The problem they are all attracted to each other and well Livvy is stubborn and has worked so hard for what he has. Can they help her out or will the "bistro boys" put her out of business for good? Can the spicy outweigh the sweet?

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a successful business and a failing business fine things in common besides saving, their businesses for lives are joined together. The guys run a successful restaurant, and our FMC runs a pet boutique on the east side of New York. When developers come and try to force them out, they bring the neighborhood together, expose the wrong and come together in more ways than one. If you like RH, but not the sword crossing and prefer one on one I highly recommend this book. There are hints of possible group fun, but not described. Even hinted at a possible MM. The scenes were not abrasive in your face and were tastefully done. So if you wanna dip your toes and Rh, but not dive head long, definitely read this excellent storyline and character development with a plot that you can really sink your teeth into.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Livvy is the owner of Pawsh Pets in an upscale neighborhood. Sticking to her own lane and business, she finds herself on the receiving end of an offer from the restaurant owners next door to buy her business so they can expand theirs. However, there are bigger plans at play than the 4 know, a developer is looking at the block their businesses are on and they need to work together to save both. However, through getting to know each other and their plans to save their businesses relationships start to develop between them. Through the twists and turns of the new relationships as well as finding ways to defeat the developers, this was a fun story to read to see how they will end up and if they will be successful in their plans.

[Leanne Bryson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Livvy owns a pet boutique next to the new hot restaurant in NYC. When the owners, Owen, Weston and Enzo, decide to expand, there is only one place to go....into Livvy's pet boutique. But she isn't interested in selling and they soon find out they have a bigger problem when a developer wants them all out. Soon working against a common enemy turns to more, for all 4 of them, so why choose? The book is well paced, compelling characters, sizzle, steam, drama, and more. Another solid read by Mika Lane and her series, The Why Choose Chronicles.
I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

[Cay Scheumack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, entertaining, action packed, steamy emotional, story of businesses being run out of a small neighborhood in NY.
Vivvy is trying to make her own way, but self loathing. self demeaning, and not believing in yourself keeps getting in the way. Her classy pet business is in a small neighborhood with an unique restaurant,featuring three masters of the universe. We have a dishonest developer and a dirty councilman trying to buy their block. Fighting leads to steamy nights, collaboration ,friendship and heartbreaks.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Mulan Book Princess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a cute romance. Livvy is a sweetheart and is passionate about her store. When she finally meets and gets to know Weston, Owen and Enzo, there is an undeniable chemistry between them. As they band together to save their businesses, things get out of control and they will not only have to battle the enemy, but also themselves to get to a HEA.

I received a free advance reader copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my fair and honest review.

[Trude · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story over all, but it felt a bit disjointed to me. It had a lot of miscommunication and a lot of ‘I don’t deserve this’ thinking.

This one had low to medium heat and I wish the spicy scenes had a bit more… something in them. There weren’t a lot of them all togheter, more like one of them with Livvy and the other two watching or not there at all.

But all the drama with the developer was interesting and I liked the solution that it ended with.

[Debra (Dragon Nanny) Phiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a cute story with lots of steamy moments but also moments that made the relationship more realistic and dynamic!

Livvy and the guys were combustible and so much fun when they worked together! They all brought something to the “table” that made them all just work.

The side characters made the story that extra bit special and had me chuckling a time a two!

All in all a delightful bite for all!

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so much fun to read! I really love these stories by Mika and yes I have read several of her books so I knew what I was getting and she delivered. I love the enemies to lovers thing that was going on. However they need to work together in order keep their businesses alive so now the sparks fly. Loved it.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a enemies to lovers reverse harem romance. It revolves around Livvy, three sexy guys running the restaurant next door and a bunch of other crazy characters. I like the crazy shop cat 🐈. Everyone must work together to save their block from a dishonest developer and corrupt politician.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute story and one that was an easy read. Enzo, Owen and Weston want to expand their business and that means, they want Livvy gone. What follows is a fun little enemies to loves story that made me laugh in places. Everyone has to learn to understand everyone else so there is a nice learning curve there also. Mika Lane's stories always make me smile and laugh. I really enjoyed this one.

[Maria G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Livvy is great and I Liked that she knew she wanted to own a pet store and made it happen. When she allows herself to be around Owen, Weston and Enzo her love life takes off. They almost have something horrible happen but band together to stop it.

I received an ARC and am leaving my honest and voluntary review.

[Brooke Nerdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and quick story about the ups and downs of owning a business in NYC. When a developer starts to make some not very nice advances, Pet shop owner, Livvy, and the three owns of a restaurant are willing to work together to keep their places of hard work and dedication.

[Esana]

DNF 40%

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Janine Birt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story in this one. It was spicy and fun and quick.

No hesitation on anyone's part to jump in a share, the weirdness happens along the way thanks to the external conflict that is the developer trying to take down the neighborhood so they can build and make money.

I feel like there were a lot of threads in the story that could have gone places but they didn't. But not every story is going to be a full meal, sometimes you're craving a bag of chips and this totally delivers on the yummy snack vibes.

The narration for the audiobook was a little flat for me. I was into the mystery, the drama so I stuck around but if I wasn't in the mood for a spicy junk food story in that moment, I probably would have shelved the audio. The male narrator, Wen Ross, had some wonderful tones in his voice, however he had 3 male leads and I couldn't tell them apart half the time. The female narrator, Kai Kennicott, gave me some good emoting and variety, but it wasn't enough to make up for the confusion in the male POV chapters.

This one just didn't hit for me.

I requested and was provided with a copy of the audiobook. These are my honest opinions.