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My Kind of Hero #1
No Romeo
Scandal meets sizzle when a runaway bride’s quick getaway lands her in the arms of her almost-groom’s rival, but he has more than business on his mind when he makes her an offer she can’t refuse.
Your wedding day is meant to be the happiest day of your life. Not the day you discover your groom is a cheating jerk.
When I run, strong arms catch me. It’s just a shame they belong to my ex’s nemesis, Oliver Deubel. Rich and powerful, the man is sin in a suit. He’s also arrogant, demanding, and infuriatingly irresistible.
When my wedding disaster goes viral and deportation hangs over my head, Oliver offers me a help him ruin my ex in exchange for my visa. The fine print? Move in with him.
I want to laugh in his face, until I discover how ruthless he is. So I decide to repay him by making his life a living hell, and he retaliates by…being nice to me. Which is where things become really weird as lines blur and pretend suddenly begins to feel real.
But Oliver is no Romeo, and only a fool would fall for him.
Worryingly, I think that fool might be me.
Your wedding day is meant to be the happiest day of your life. Not the day you discover your groom is a cheating jerk.
When I run, strong arms catch me. It’s just a shame they belong to my ex’s nemesis, Oliver Deubel. Rich and powerful, the man is sin in a suit. He’s also arrogant, demanding, and infuriatingly irresistible.
When my wedding disaster goes viral and deportation hangs over my head, Oliver offers me a help him ruin my ex in exchange for my visa. The fine print? Move in with him.
I want to laugh in his face, until I discover how ruthless he is. So I decide to repay him by making his life a living hell, and he retaliates by…being nice to me. Which is where things become really weird as lines blur and pretend suddenly begins to feel real.
But Oliver is no Romeo, and only a fool would fall for him.
Worryingly, I think that fool might be me.
486 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2024
6179 people are currently reading
9369 people want to read
About the author
Donna Alam
44 books2,119 followersDonna Alam is a #7 Amazon Kindle store and USA Today bestseller. A writer of love stories with heart, humour, and heat, she aspires to sprinkle a little joy into the lives of her readers. When not bashing away at her keyboard, she can often be found hiding from her responsibilities with a book in her hand and a mop of a dog at her feet.
Hear all the news by joining her newsletter below or pop in and say hello in her private reader group, Donna Alam's Lambs.
Lambs - https://bit.ly/DALambs
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Hear all the news by joining her newsletter below or pop in and say hello in her private reader group, Donna Alam's Lambs.
Lambs - https://bit.ly/DALambs
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 507 reviews
June 4, 2024
Overall, this book was pretty ok/good. Like I had a good time, but it wasn’t great.
Basics of the plot:
Eve finds out her fiancé has been cheating on her the morning of her wedding after she receives some anonymous texts with the evidence of his and the other woman’s (Eve’s maid of honor even though they weren’t really friends??) affair. She reads the texts aloud at the wedding instead of her vows and then runs off and literally falls into the car/lap of her now-ex’s nemesis, Oliver Deubel (whose last name was a little on the nose, but I didn’t hate it).
Said nemesis takes advantage of the opportunity—and Eve’s threatened visa status—and blackmails her into faking a relationship to help with his real estate-based revenge . There’s a viral video of the wedding and the consequences of that somewhere in there. And also of course they fall in love.
What I liked:
- The opening scene was so good. Who wouldn’t want to publicly humiliate a lying, cheating scumbag in front of all his family and friends (and also the internet, when the video goes viral). That opening scene got me into the book.
- The ongoing thread of the gossip rag was fun. It was important to the plot in some parts, like when . And also it was a helpful thread when the story sagged a bit in the middle.
- I liked the surrounding characters. Eve and Yara had fun banter. The boys (Oliver, Fin, and Matt) did as well. I lol’d several times.
- Eve’s parents were legit the worst, but believably so, and their scenes were important because it made Eve’s hatred of and generalizations about people with money (despite living a very privileged life herself) mildly more believable.
- Bo (the dog) was my favorite character. He was best boy.
- Get outta town that was so out of left field and kind of perfect.
What didn’t work for me:
- Eve seemed too open-minded to paint every person with money as “bad person.” I mean eat the rich (and she did, lol), but I didn’t buy it fully.
- Why was Riley even a character if we saw so little of him? Wasn’t he supposed to be her best friend?
- We get it. Oliver’s no Romeo. It’s the name of the book. It didn’t need to be repeated so. Many. Times.
- The book slowed down in the middle and made it feel extra long, and I think there were scenes that could have been cut entirely , which would’ve helped with pacing.
- The third act conflict didn’t hit for me, because It didn’t track for me.
-
- Some of the dialogue in the sex scenes felt a little cringe. But not all of it. It was hit or miss.
Loose end:
- Did we ever find out who sent the anonymous wedding texts? I expected them to be from Oliver, and I think that would have made sense and would’ve been interesting. That feels like a loose end, unless I just missed it.
Anyway, all that said, I liked No Romeo. Even though there were some things that didn’t work for me, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to fans of contemporary rom com revenge plots, fake dating, and billionaire romances. I will also probably read future books in this series, assuming Donna Alam chooses to write them.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. 🤍
Basics of the plot:
Eve finds out her fiancé has been cheating on her the morning of her wedding after she receives some anonymous texts with the evidence of his and the other woman’s (Eve’s maid of honor even though they weren’t really friends??) affair. She reads the texts aloud at the wedding instead of her vows and then runs off and literally falls into the car/lap of her now-ex’s nemesis, Oliver Deubel (whose last name was a little on the nose, but I didn’t hate it).
Said nemesis takes advantage of the opportunity—and Eve’s threatened visa status—and blackmails her into faking a relationship to help with his real estate-based revenge . There’s a viral video of the wedding and the consequences of that somewhere in there. And also of course they fall in love.
What I liked:
- The opening scene was so good. Who wouldn’t want to publicly humiliate a lying, cheating scumbag in front of all his family and friends (and also the internet, when the video goes viral). That opening scene got me into the book.
- The ongoing thread of the gossip rag was fun. It was important to the plot in some parts, like when . And also it was a helpful thread when the story sagged a bit in the middle.
- I liked the surrounding characters. Eve and Yara had fun banter. The boys (Oliver, Fin, and Matt) did as well. I lol’d several times.
- Eve’s parents were legit the worst, but believably so, and their scenes were important because it made Eve’s hatred of and generalizations about people with money (despite living a very privileged life herself) mildly more believable.
- Bo (the dog) was my favorite character. He was best boy.
- Get outta town that was so out of left field and kind of perfect.
What didn’t work for me:
- Eve seemed too open-minded to paint every person with money as “bad person.” I mean eat the rich (and she did, lol), but I didn’t buy it fully.
- Why was Riley even a character if we saw so little of him? Wasn’t he supposed to be her best friend?
- We get it. Oliver’s no Romeo. It’s the name of the book. It didn’t need to be repeated so. Many. Times.
- The book slowed down in the middle and made it feel extra long, and I think there were scenes that could have been cut entirely , which would’ve helped with pacing.
- The third act conflict didn’t hit for me, because It didn’t track for me.
-
- Some of the dialogue in the sex scenes felt a little cringe. But not all of it. It was hit or miss.
Loose end:
- Did we ever find out who sent the anonymous wedding texts? I expected them to be from Oliver, and I think that would have made sense and would’ve been interesting. That feels like a loose end, unless I just missed it.
Anyway, all that said, I liked No Romeo. Even though there were some things that didn’t work for me, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to fans of contemporary rom com revenge plots, fake dating, and billionaire romances. I will also probably read future books in this series, assuming Donna Alam chooses to write them.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. 🤍
August 19, 2024
I don't really know what I expected out of this book. But what I got wasn't it.
I guess I was expecting something a little darker? Not a golden retriever MMC disguised (poorly) as a manipulative, ruthless asshole.
All in all this book wasn't bad, but it also wasn't anything new.
Things I liked:
1. Eve's opening scene, where she humiliates Mitch at the alter by reading his dirty texts to her Maid of Honor. What a way to open a book.
1-a. I even liked how she got away from the cheating hobag by crawling into a random dude's car. That scene was movie-worthy.
2. I like that Eve is a veterinarian. It's not often you see FMCs in medical roles, even less often when it's not human-centric. It immediately let us know that Eve is as whip-smart as she is compassionate.
3. The side characters. Yara and Nora were both great in their own ways. But I adored how firey they both were. Matt and Fin are equally intriguing as future MMCs. I loved how they kept it real with Oliver with regards to him being in love and being a dipshit about it. Fin and Eve also seemed to have a really cute dynamic too.
4. The references to Pride and Prejudice. Despite the fact that this book is called No Romeo, there were quite a few nods to P&P. I adored Eve's and Oliver's confessions of love particularly.
5. Eve's parents. Okay. I didn't like them. But they're not meant to be likeable. I liked that they were realistic in their snobbery. I also enjoyed how Oliver dealt with them and tried to make the evening they spent together easier for Eve.
6. To a lesser degree--but the gossip-column blurbs were entertaining. Particularly the "comments" under the articles. They were a great little break from the story.
Things I didn't like:
1. The length of this book. Honestly, for the story we got it did NOT need to be this long. This book is nearly 500 pages. A 300 page book could have sufficed and not sacrificed anything. In the middle especially, the book slows to a crawl and not even the gratuitous smut could save it.
2. We never find out who sends Eve the texts in the beginning of the story that lets her know her fiancé is cheating on her. I'd have thought this would have been incorporated in some way.
3. The random inclusion of Riley, Eve's supposed BFF who never actually makes an appearance in the story outside of a few text message conversations. This was so weird to me, Yara could easily have filled that role.
4. The inevitable 3rd act breakup didn't go quite the way I expected it would. I anticipated that the ex-fiancé would have more to do with the misunderstanding. And yet, he didn't. In fact, short of a few run ins, he doesn't really impact the story at all, which is a shame, given how he's touted as Oliver's nemesis on so many different levels. Dude's hardly in the picture at all.
Instead, the miscommunication trope pops up and Eve runs literally to the other side of the globe without even TRYING to understand what the hell is happening.
If that's not bad enough, she allows these weird doubts to creep into her mind, when she knows that Oliver's in love with her and wouldn't do anything to hurt her on purpose. It just read as forced, rather than a natural breakdown of trust/communication.
5. The whole visa issue as a way to control Eve gave me the ick. This is the ONLY part of the story where the big bad ruthless MMC actually acts like the asshole he claims to be. Dude manipulates Eve into moving into his hotel suite with him for 3 months, blackmails her into acting as his partner to convince an old man to sell his estate, by holding her visa over her head.
Granted, this is the sort of thing that I expected from this book--but the way it's written is like the author was afraid to commit to the dickish role. Eve knew she was being manipulated, but it didn't matter because the one doing it was hot and had a big dick. She gives in entirely too quickly, and doesn't have the appropriate reaction at all to being forced into doing something she's morally against.
6. Eve's hatred for "all rich people" is goddamned ironic given that she ends up engaged to a billionaire. Multiple times throughout the book, she goes on mini rants in her head and occasionally to other people about how rich people have no humanity, that they don't care about hurting others as long as they get what they want, yadda yadda yadda. She lets her gold digging mom skew her vision--but she doesn't even commit to it, given how utterly wild she is for Oliver. If you're gonna make a character have a belief, you need to commit to it, y'know?
7. How on earth did Eve get in touch with Oliver's sister? That bit came right out of NOWHERE and was clearly a means to an end--which was getting Oliver in touch with his estranged sibling again. There's so much unresolved tension and drama there that doesn't get unpacked because it happens in the last chapter before the end of the book.
I'm sort of middle of the road on this ratings-wise. It's okay but not great. And it definitely did not need to be as long as it was. I think it could have benefited from some serious editing to weed out frivolous scenes and plotlines that go nowhere.
I guess I was expecting something a little darker? Not a golden retriever MMC disguised (poorly) as a manipulative, ruthless asshole.
All in all this book wasn't bad, but it also wasn't anything new.
Things I liked:
1. Eve's opening scene, where she humiliates Mitch at the alter by reading his dirty texts to her Maid of Honor. What a way to open a book.
1-a. I even liked how she got away from the cheating hobag by crawling into a random dude's car. That scene was movie-worthy.
2. I like that Eve is a veterinarian. It's not often you see FMCs in medical roles, even less often when it's not human-centric. It immediately let us know that Eve is as whip-smart as she is compassionate.
3. The side characters. Yara and Nora were both great in their own ways. But I adored how firey they both were. Matt and Fin are equally intriguing as future MMCs. I loved how they kept it real with Oliver with regards to him being in love and being a dipshit about it. Fin and Eve also seemed to have a really cute dynamic too.
4. The references to Pride and Prejudice. Despite the fact that this book is called No Romeo, there were quite a few nods to P&P. I adored Eve's and Oliver's confessions of love particularly.
5. Eve's parents. Okay. I didn't like them. But they're not meant to be likeable. I liked that they were realistic in their snobbery. I also enjoyed how Oliver dealt with them and tried to make the evening they spent together easier for Eve.
6. To a lesser degree--but the gossip-column blurbs were entertaining. Particularly the "comments" under the articles. They were a great little break from the story.
Things I didn't like:
1. The length of this book. Honestly, for the story we got it did NOT need to be this long. This book is nearly 500 pages. A 300 page book could have sufficed and not sacrificed anything. In the middle especially, the book slows to a crawl and not even the gratuitous smut could save it.
2. We never find out who sends Eve the texts in the beginning of the story that lets her know her fiancé is cheating on her. I'd have thought this would have been incorporated in some way.
3. The random inclusion of Riley, Eve's supposed BFF who never actually makes an appearance in the story outside of a few text message conversations. This was so weird to me, Yara could easily have filled that role.
4. The inevitable 3rd act breakup didn't go quite the way I expected it would. I anticipated that the ex-fiancé would have more to do with the misunderstanding. And yet, he didn't. In fact, short of a few run ins, he doesn't really impact the story at all, which is a shame, given how he's touted as Oliver's nemesis on so many different levels. Dude's hardly in the picture at all.
Instead, the miscommunication trope pops up and Eve runs literally to the other side of the globe without even TRYING to understand what the hell is happening.
If that's not bad enough, she allows these weird doubts to creep into her mind, when she knows that Oliver's in love with her and wouldn't do anything to hurt her on purpose. It just read as forced, rather than a natural breakdown of trust/communication.
5. The whole visa issue as a way to control Eve gave me the ick. This is the ONLY part of the story where the big bad ruthless MMC actually acts like the asshole he claims to be. Dude manipulates Eve into moving into his hotel suite with him for 3 months, blackmails her into acting as his partner to convince an old man to sell his estate, by holding her visa over her head.
Granted, this is the sort of thing that I expected from this book--but the way it's written is like the author was afraid to commit to the dickish role. Eve knew she was being manipulated, but it didn't matter because the one doing it was hot and had a big dick. She gives in entirely too quickly, and doesn't have the appropriate reaction at all to being forced into doing something she's morally against.
6. Eve's hatred for "all rich people" is goddamned ironic given that she ends up engaged to a billionaire. Multiple times throughout the book, she goes on mini rants in her head and occasionally to other people about how rich people have no humanity, that they don't care about hurting others as long as they get what they want, yadda yadda yadda. She lets her gold digging mom skew her vision--but she doesn't even commit to it, given how utterly wild she is for Oliver. If you're gonna make a character have a belief, you need to commit to it, y'know?
7. How on earth did Eve get in touch with Oliver's sister? That bit came right out of NOWHERE and was clearly a means to an end--which was getting Oliver in touch with his estranged sibling again. There's so much unresolved tension and drama there that doesn't get unpacked because it happens in the last chapter before the end of the book.
I'm sort of middle of the road on this ratings-wise. It's okay but not great. And it definitely did not need to be as long as it was. I think it could have benefited from some serious editing to weed out frivolous scenes and plotlines that go nowhere.
August 8, 2024
Before I start let me just say that I love D. Alam. But this book is a struggle for me. I’m so disappointed, I love a run away bride story and the first 2-3 chapters I was excited but I just can’t stand the MFC, the constant bickering or the writing, ex, a question is asked and three pages later I get the answer, by that time I’m now having to go back and figure out the what the question was. Further more the story just seems to drag, loose ends and a third scene breakup seemed tedious.
July 2, 2025
Oliver and Eve meet in the midst of some extreme circumstances. She is a Veterinarian from CT living in London about to get married when she discovers the truth about her fiancée - that he is a big fatty cheater. Oliver kinda rescues Eve but then makes demands and is generally an a@@h@t But He looks good in leather pants and is okay with dirrrrty PDA. He works hard to reestablish trust. Funny, good banter, real feel characters. I lost patience at about .75 . Not sure why it
lost steam but overall good story. Would likely read more in series, great narration.
lost steam but overall good story. Would likely read more in series, great narration.
December 22, 2024
CBF - @ 5%
The audiobook was fucking horrific so I can’t be fucked right now and will try reading it another time 😂
The audiobook was fucking horrific so I can’t be fucked right now and will try reading it another time 😂
Read
February 11, 2025DNF 6% Ridiculous and implausible!
A woman who just found out she has been cheated on, hours before she was supposed to get married, doesn’t behave the way this heroine did. There is no way! 😒
A woman who just found out she has been cheated on, hours before she was supposed to get married, doesn’t behave the way this heroine did. There is no way! 😒
October 21, 2024
4.5⭐️
'O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? -- He's right here, catching a runaway bride while trying NOT to catch feelings for said bride. Donna Alam delights with this story of love that came along at just the right time' - The British Bibliophile
Thank you to Donna Alam for approaching me personally to see if I would be interested in reading this book. After enjoying a few of her previous works, I accepted. My paperback ARC is proudly on my bookcase as my first read of hers to be there. It's a gorgeously floppy, matte book with a model on the cover that is very easy on the eyes. I'm one happy reader to see her--and the book--on my shelf.
NOTE-This review does NOT contain spoilers, but makes references to aspects within the book's blurb. If you do not wish to know a thing about the book until you read it--blurb included--please exit my review now :)
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⠀⠀⠀📖 A R C ⠀ R E V I E W 📖
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No Romeo is a standalone read by the encapsulating author, Donna Alam, as part of her 'My Kind of Hero' series. This is the first book in the series, introducing us to a new world and a set of characters by an author who can write both brilliantly, enchanting readers with there being something for each reader to enjoy.
Having not read any works by Donna for far too long, this book was the perfect opportunity to remedy that. I wasn't going to pass up the chance to not only read more of an author I previously enjoyed reading, but I now can add another read of hers to my growing list to say that I have proudly read.
As much as the above is true, it is also a chance to support an author and a person, both. Whereas my bookish social media isn't big in reach compared to that of other accounts, I get to put all the passion for an author and her work into what I will create to willingly promote it. The fun in that, on top of reading something brand new, is a thrill only a reader can have.
Now, it's time to see what we're dealing here with our reluctant Romeo.
'Scandal meets sizzle when a runaway bride’s quick getaway lands her in the arms of her almost-groom’s rival, but he has more than business on his mind when he makes her an offer she can’t refuse.'
There's one day in every person's life that they are told is the 'best day of their life', the day some people think about and dream of for their whole lives until it arrives. The day that epitomises happiness of not only two lives becoming one, but the journey that joined life will go on throughout the course of their married life. It is NOT the day that you discover that your fiancé, the man who is soon in a matter of minutes is set to be your husband, has been cheating on you and that it isn't something that has started fairly recently.
Cue the runaway bride.
When Evie makes a swift--and fully justified--exit from her wedding after exposing her almost-husband in front of their awaiting guests to witness their almost nuptials, she ditches one man and lands right in the path of another. The last thing she needs on what would have been her wedding day is having to deal with another man, especially one who is arrogant, demanding, and infuriatingly irresistible. However, despite that, this new man thrust into her life could prove to be more useful than not. You see, he is the rich, powerful, sin in a suit nemesis of her now ex-fiance.
Fate certainly has a way of making things interesting when you least expect it to.
Having what was supposed to be the best day of her life go from heaven to hell in a handbasket in no time flat, putting it behind her is what Evie wants more than anything so that she can think on what her next steps will be. Easier said than done when said day goes viral on the internet and potential deportation from the country lands hard on both of her shoulders.
Cue the sound of the white night--also known as Oliver Deubel--cruising on by to save the day. Again. This time, however, our Romeo is less reluctant as now there is something in his saving Evie that he can benefit from.
Oliver makes a simple-on-the-surface request of Evie, in exchange for obtaining and retaining her visa to stay in the country. Help him ruin her ex-fiance. The clause in his offer? She has to move in with him for their deception to be believable to anyone and everyone outside of themselves who doesn't know the truth of their deal.
The situation is desperate, but Evie is not. She has her morals and her dignity, both coming into play when she wants to do nothing but laugh at his offer. That is, until realisation sets in and it dawns on her, quite heavily, that he is as ruthless as a man can get. Stuck between a rock and a hard place with no other choice but to agree to his demands, she decides to rebel in the only way that she can. How? To make his life a living hell.
Her plan to make his life a living hell, soon goes down the pan. Oliver isn't a man who is putt off so easily, instead deciding that he too will retaliate to her own retaliation. Though unlike Evie's plan to be difficult, he retaliates in the most unexpected way. By being nice.
Lines begin to blur with once what was only supposed to be pretend as part of their deceptive deal, soon transcends into things becoming more and more real as the days pass by.
Reality soon checks back in as Evie remembers that no matter what may happen between her and Oliver, he is as he has reminded her, no Romeo. The foolish thing to do would be for her to catch feelings for him and fall harder than hard for someone who doesn't want to catch her and swoop her up into his arms. As it turns out, she may just be said fool falling for him after all.
Evie and Oliver's story was one that was filled with both the expected and unexpected. Going into a romance novel, we readers know what we're generally in for. Certain things pop up that make each book unique in its own way, even when using the same phrases, plot devices, tropes, etc. Which is what happened here with No Romeo. It possessed the classic elements that we know and love about a romance novel, but with the unique twist on the beloved elements that only Donna could put to a story of her own creation.
Although starting out as strangers, Evie and Oliver soon give off the frenemies vibe as they dive head-first into their hurried deal. Though I feel they leant more into the friends than enemies camp. Sure, they despised one another from time to time and were quick to fuel already bubbling tempers, but there wasn't anything in it that deep down wasn't done out of good--albeit warped sometimes--intentions. Oliver is the classic stereotype of a billionaire on the surface but on the inside and what is slowly let out as the chapters go on, is that he is in fact very much the golden retriever type when it comes to Evie. This development of his character alongside Evie's own, was very clear and appreciated by myself as a reader to see. We all love a closed-off MMC brought out of his shell by the right woman, and Evie was that woman.
Amidst the steam and spice--to which there was plenty of when it occurred--was the comedic undercurrent that ran throughout. As much as I and other readers do enjoy a lip-biting read, we also an appreciate a dash of humour to lighten the mood. No Romeo provided many a lip-curling moment that had me giggle-snorting into my drink, which I wish I could say went no where at all, but it did. Zero regrets.
Gently strolling to the much-welcomed Happily Ever After and going through many wringers to get there, by the time I turned the last page I couldn't be happier that Donna approached me so I could get to know Evie and Oliver. I would have been very sad if they and their story had passed me by, and urgently encourage my fellow readers to give them a chance to see why I fell head-over-pages for them and what was to test their inevitable love.
Make No Romeo your next bookish purchase and like myself when I had to pull myself from my paperback to say goodbye, you'll be itching to make your next trip back to this series.
Good thing that there, in fact, is a next trip.
Say goodbye to Romeo, and hello to a man that is 'No Saint'.
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⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 📚 G E N R E S 📚
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ Romance
⠀⠀⠀↳ New Adult
⠀⠀⠀↳ Billionaire Romance
⠀⠀⠀↳ Contemporary Romance
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⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀T R O P E S
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ Billionaire
⠀⠀⠀↳ Grumpy x Sunshine
⠀⠀⠀↳ Age Gap
⠀⠀⠀↳ Forced Proximity
⠀⠀⠀↳ Fake Relationship
⠀⠀⠀↳ Anti-Hero
⠀⠀⠀↳ Runaway Bride
⠀⠀⠀↳ Undercover Golden Retriever
⠀⠀⠀↳ Strangers to Lovers
⠀⠀⠀↳ Damsel in Distress
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⠀ ⠀ 🌶️ S T E A M Y/S P I C Y? 🌶️
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ Slow burn, sizzling until its hot
⠀⠀⠀↳ Stoking the fire until the flames lick hot
⠀⠀⠀↳ Once the flames burn, they are hot AF!
⠀⠀⠀↳ 3.5-4/5 on the spice-o-meter
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀T R I G G E R S?
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ No triggers
⠀⠀⠀↳ Possible sensitive topic for anyone who has been cheated on, but still okay to read and enjoy
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 📚 Q U O T E S 📚
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ 'Eh, people. So overrated. Zero stars. Would not recommend'
⠀⠀⠀↳ 'I hope he gets crotch rot and his todger falls off'
⠀⠀⠀↳ 'She who holds the pussy holds the power'
⠀⠀⠀↳ 'Miracle whip is like pasteurised hobgoblin jizz'
⠀⠀⠀↳ 'Honestly, I feel like a Bond girl...' '...you look like a Bond villain', 'Would that be the one with the pussy or the one with the unfortunate teeth?'
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀M U S T ⠀ R E A D?
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ Oh yes!
⠀⠀⠀↳ So glad I was approached to ask to give this a read. Love a good runaway bride romance!
⠀⠀⠀↳ Fully invested to give book two a chance as well :)
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀F O R M A T S
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ Ebook - https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Romeo-Kind-Hero-Book-ebook/dp/B0CQMHFSC5/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GD4zWQF9JtYddgyc8ebYZIsIpyEpnTXS-4y3YOrm4EikxENWxO3n4Je7Hwn2cJ0CjbkR40mhX9eZQALXgBgw4Ob4cY-5kb4_6fSPL0vCup_o_GVkbW_caeWDiLW5SqjIaHjOaxPmEjijXwcRfZNpEoLDnoZL-yna69_k-lf6DDpA6KBkQWMZIU0j90s3_XAx.RsGYLlkKB63i7sW_nSo2xSUuJA_q-7sOq6Z2L6ycARo&qid=1729186421&sr=8-1
⠀⠀⠀↳ Paperback - https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Romeo-My-Kind-Hero/dp/1662521022/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GD4zWQF9JtYddgyc8ebYZIsIpyEpnTXS-4y3YOrm4EikxENWxO3n4Je7Hwn2cJ0CjbkR40mhX9eZQALXgBgw4Ob4cY-5kb4_6fSPL0vCup_o_GVkbW_caeWDiLW5SqjIaHjOaxPmEjijXwcRfZNpEoLDnoZL-yna69_k-lf6DDpA6KBkQWMZIU0j90s3_XAx.RsGYLlkKB63i7sW_nSo2xSUuJA_q-7sOq6Z2L6ycARo&qid=1729186421&sr=8-1
⠀⠀⠀↳ Audiobook - https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/No-Romeo-Audiobook/B0CY38J9QJ?eac_link=0HcRThgfbmnR&ref=web_search_eac_asin_1&eac_selected_type=asin&eac_selected=B0CY38J9QJ&qid=rJIUvfnwIs&eac_id=262-9334404-4187537_rJIUvfnwIs&sr=1-1
⠀⠀⠀↳ Donna's Website - https://donnaalam.com
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀F O L L O W ⠀ D O N N A!
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PG.DonnaAlam
⠀⠀⠀↳ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/donna_alam/
'O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? -- He's right here, catching a runaway bride while trying NOT to catch feelings for said bride. Donna Alam delights with this story of love that came along at just the right time' - The British Bibliophile
Thank you to Donna Alam for approaching me personally to see if I would be interested in reading this book. After enjoying a few of her previous works, I accepted. My paperback ARC is proudly on my bookcase as my first read of hers to be there. It's a gorgeously floppy, matte book with a model on the cover that is very easy on the eyes. I'm one happy reader to see her--and the book--on my shelf.
NOTE-This review does NOT contain spoilers, but makes references to aspects within the book's blurb. If you do not wish to know a thing about the book until you read it--blurb included--please exit my review now :)
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀📖 A R C ⠀ R E V I E W 📖
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
No Romeo is a standalone read by the encapsulating author, Donna Alam, as part of her 'My Kind of Hero' series. This is the first book in the series, introducing us to a new world and a set of characters by an author who can write both brilliantly, enchanting readers with there being something for each reader to enjoy.
Having not read any works by Donna for far too long, this book was the perfect opportunity to remedy that. I wasn't going to pass up the chance to not only read more of an author I previously enjoyed reading, but I now can add another read of hers to my growing list to say that I have proudly read.
As much as the above is true, it is also a chance to support an author and a person, both. Whereas my bookish social media isn't big in reach compared to that of other accounts, I get to put all the passion for an author and her work into what I will create to willingly promote it. The fun in that, on top of reading something brand new, is a thrill only a reader can have.
Now, it's time to see what we're dealing here with our reluctant Romeo.
'Scandal meets sizzle when a runaway bride’s quick getaway lands her in the arms of her almost-groom’s rival, but he has more than business on his mind when he makes her an offer she can’t refuse.'
There's one day in every person's life that they are told is the 'best day of their life', the day some people think about and dream of for their whole lives until it arrives. The day that epitomises happiness of not only two lives becoming one, but the journey that joined life will go on throughout the course of their married life. It is NOT the day that you discover that your fiancé, the man who is soon in a matter of minutes is set to be your husband, has been cheating on you and that it isn't something that has started fairly recently.
Cue the runaway bride.
When Evie makes a swift--and fully justified--exit from her wedding after exposing her almost-husband in front of their awaiting guests to witness their almost nuptials, she ditches one man and lands right in the path of another. The last thing she needs on what would have been her wedding day is having to deal with another man, especially one who is arrogant, demanding, and infuriatingly irresistible. However, despite that, this new man thrust into her life could prove to be more useful than not. You see, he is the rich, powerful, sin in a suit nemesis of her now ex-fiance.
Fate certainly has a way of making things interesting when you least expect it to.
Having what was supposed to be the best day of her life go from heaven to hell in a handbasket in no time flat, putting it behind her is what Evie wants more than anything so that she can think on what her next steps will be. Easier said than done when said day goes viral on the internet and potential deportation from the country lands hard on both of her shoulders.
Cue the sound of the white night--also known as Oliver Deubel--cruising on by to save the day. Again. This time, however, our Romeo is less reluctant as now there is something in his saving Evie that he can benefit from.
Oliver makes a simple-on-the-surface request of Evie, in exchange for obtaining and retaining her visa to stay in the country. Help him ruin her ex-fiance. The clause in his offer? She has to move in with him for their deception to be believable to anyone and everyone outside of themselves who doesn't know the truth of their deal.
The situation is desperate, but Evie is not. She has her morals and her dignity, both coming into play when she wants to do nothing but laugh at his offer. That is, until realisation sets in and it dawns on her, quite heavily, that he is as ruthless as a man can get. Stuck between a rock and a hard place with no other choice but to agree to his demands, she decides to rebel in the only way that she can. How? To make his life a living hell.
Her plan to make his life a living hell, soon goes down the pan. Oliver isn't a man who is putt off so easily, instead deciding that he too will retaliate to her own retaliation. Though unlike Evie's plan to be difficult, he retaliates in the most unexpected way. By being nice.
Lines begin to blur with once what was only supposed to be pretend as part of their deceptive deal, soon transcends into things becoming more and more real as the days pass by.
Reality soon checks back in as Evie remembers that no matter what may happen between her and Oliver, he is as he has reminded her, no Romeo. The foolish thing to do would be for her to catch feelings for him and fall harder than hard for someone who doesn't want to catch her and swoop her up into his arms. As it turns out, she may just be said fool falling for him after all.
Evie and Oliver's story was one that was filled with both the expected and unexpected. Going into a romance novel, we readers know what we're generally in for. Certain things pop up that make each book unique in its own way, even when using the same phrases, plot devices, tropes, etc. Which is what happened here with No Romeo. It possessed the classic elements that we know and love about a romance novel, but with the unique twist on the beloved elements that only Donna could put to a story of her own creation.
Although starting out as strangers, Evie and Oliver soon give off the frenemies vibe as they dive head-first into their hurried deal. Though I feel they leant more into the friends than enemies camp. Sure, they despised one another from time to time and were quick to fuel already bubbling tempers, but there wasn't anything in it that deep down wasn't done out of good--albeit warped sometimes--intentions. Oliver is the classic stereotype of a billionaire on the surface but on the inside and what is slowly let out as the chapters go on, is that he is in fact very much the golden retriever type when it comes to Evie. This development of his character alongside Evie's own, was very clear and appreciated by myself as a reader to see. We all love a closed-off MMC brought out of his shell by the right woman, and Evie was that woman.
Amidst the steam and spice--to which there was plenty of when it occurred--was the comedic undercurrent that ran throughout. As much as I and other readers do enjoy a lip-biting read, we also an appreciate a dash of humour to lighten the mood. No Romeo provided many a lip-curling moment that had me giggle-snorting into my drink, which I wish I could say went no where at all, but it did. Zero regrets.
Gently strolling to the much-welcomed Happily Ever After and going through many wringers to get there, by the time I turned the last page I couldn't be happier that Donna approached me so I could get to know Evie and Oliver. I would have been very sad if they and their story had passed me by, and urgently encourage my fellow readers to give them a chance to see why I fell head-over-pages for them and what was to test their inevitable love.
Make No Romeo your next bookish purchase and like myself when I had to pull myself from my paperback to say goodbye, you'll be itching to make your next trip back to this series.
Good thing that there, in fact, is a next trip.
Say goodbye to Romeo, and hello to a man that is 'No Saint'.
----------------------
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 📚 G E N R E S 📚
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ Romance
⠀⠀⠀↳ New Adult
⠀⠀⠀↳ Billionaire Romance
⠀⠀⠀↳ Contemporary Romance
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀T R O P E S
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ Billionaire
⠀⠀⠀↳ Grumpy x Sunshine
⠀⠀⠀↳ Age Gap
⠀⠀⠀↳ Forced Proximity
⠀⠀⠀↳ Fake Relationship
⠀⠀⠀↳ Anti-Hero
⠀⠀⠀↳ Runaway Bride
⠀⠀⠀↳ Undercover Golden Retriever
⠀⠀⠀↳ Strangers to Lovers
⠀⠀⠀↳ Damsel in Distress
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀ ⠀ 🌶️ S T E A M Y/S P I C Y? 🌶️
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ Slow burn, sizzling until its hot
⠀⠀⠀↳ Stoking the fire until the flames lick hot
⠀⠀⠀↳ Once the flames burn, they are hot AF!
⠀⠀⠀↳ 3.5-4/5 on the spice-o-meter
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀T R I G G E R S?
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ No triggers
⠀⠀⠀↳ Possible sensitive topic for anyone who has been cheated on, but still okay to read and enjoy
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 📚 Q U O T E S 📚
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ 'Eh, people. So overrated. Zero stars. Would not recommend'
⠀⠀⠀↳ 'I hope he gets crotch rot and his todger falls off'
⠀⠀⠀↳ 'She who holds the pussy holds the power'
⠀⠀⠀↳ 'Miracle whip is like pasteurised hobgoblin jizz'
⠀⠀⠀↳ 'Honestly, I feel like a Bond girl...' '...you look like a Bond villain', 'Would that be the one with the pussy or the one with the unfortunate teeth?'
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀M U S T ⠀ R E A D?
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ Oh yes!
⠀⠀⠀↳ So glad I was approached to ask to give this a read. Love a good runaway bride romance!
⠀⠀⠀↳ Fully invested to give book two a chance as well :)
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀F O R M A T S
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ Ebook - https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Romeo-Kind-Hero-Book-ebook/dp/B0CQMHFSC5/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GD4zWQF9JtYddgyc8ebYZIsIpyEpnTXS-4y3YOrm4EikxENWxO3n4Je7Hwn2cJ0CjbkR40mhX9eZQALXgBgw4Ob4cY-5kb4_6fSPL0vCup_o_GVkbW_caeWDiLW5SqjIaHjOaxPmEjijXwcRfZNpEoLDnoZL-yna69_k-lf6DDpA6KBkQWMZIU0j90s3_XAx.RsGYLlkKB63i7sW_nSo2xSUuJA_q-7sOq6Z2L6ycARo&qid=1729186421&sr=8-1
⠀⠀⠀↳ Paperback - https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Romeo-My-Kind-Hero/dp/1662521022/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GD4zWQF9JtYddgyc8ebYZIsIpyEpnTXS-4y3YOrm4EikxENWxO3n4Je7Hwn2cJ0CjbkR40mhX9eZQALXgBgw4Ob4cY-5kb4_6fSPL0vCup_o_GVkbW_caeWDiLW5SqjIaHjOaxPmEjijXwcRfZNpEoLDnoZL-yna69_k-lf6DDpA6KBkQWMZIU0j90s3_XAx.RsGYLlkKB63i7sW_nSo2xSUuJA_q-7sOq6Z2L6ycARo&qid=1729186421&sr=8-1
⠀⠀⠀↳ Audiobook - https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/No-Romeo-Audiobook/B0CY38J9QJ?eac_link=0HcRThgfbmnR&ref=web_search_eac_asin_1&eac_selected_type=asin&eac_selected=B0CY38J9QJ&qid=rJIUvfnwIs&eac_id=262-9334404-4187537_rJIUvfnwIs&sr=1-1
⠀⠀⠀↳ Donna's Website - https://donnaalam.com
┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓
⠀⠀⠀F O L L O W ⠀ D O N N A!
┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛
⠀⠀⠀↳ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PG.DonnaAlam
⠀⠀⠀↳ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/donna_alam/
December 2, 2025
I facking HATE MISCOMMUNICATION 😒 😤 😑 and it was too long.
But otherwise, it was good.
But otherwise, it was good.
July 15, 2024
I received an arc through Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book was almost a DNF at multiple points throughout the story and I honestly regret that I didn't just drop it. I might be in the minority here, but I just don't think this book is ready for release yet.
First to the positives. I really liked Eve and Oliver. I enjoyed the premise of the runaway bride and the super rich and multi-faceted pretty boy. I also liked that you could get a glimpse into both of their thoughts thanks to the multi POV.
But. And this is a huge "but" which leads us to the negatives. I believe this book could have been great if only it had gone through a few more rounds of editing. Before you riot, let me explain:
Everyone basically has the same character. Everyone is witty, everyone is smart, everyone has a sharp tongue. At multiple points, conversations between two or more characters were so unclear and confusing that I genuinely didn't know who was saying what. It wasn't made clear in the context, and their individual voices were so similar that sometimes you just cannot tell who is supposed to be talking.
Next, I didn't understand Eve's sudden rejection of Oliver. She was the one who wanted a night with him and really pushed him towards it. Then when he comes back and gives her a way to solve all of her problems, she refuses...out of pride, I guess? And later when they have obvious chemistry and obviously want each other, she again refuses because....? I really don't know why. This happens on multiple occasions throughout the book as well. I always felt like I had skipped a few pages that gave reasons for the character's motivations. I assume it was meant to raise the tension, but all it did was to make me feel frustrated with the two.
Also, did you know that the book is called "No Romeo"? Because in case you didn't, the characters remind you every few pages. The first time, I thought it was cute that they said Oliver was no Romeo. But they ended up mentioning that so often that I wanted to throw the book across the room each time I saw those two words. At one point, it actually said "Oliver = no Romeo". Please, did nobody in editing think to have that changed?
These are just some of the things that annoyed and frustrated me. The saddest thing, as I said before, is that I really believe that this book could have been a great read. I just think that all of these things that I mentioned above should have been edited more. All of these are fixable complaints. Maybe my hopes were too high for this book, because I really enjoyed the premise. Or maybe this book just wasn't for me. It wasn't bad per se, it just had too many things that needed fixing in my opinion. If these are things that don't bother you, then you should definitely still give this book a try.
This book was almost a DNF at multiple points throughout the story and I honestly regret that I didn't just drop it. I might be in the minority here, but I just don't think this book is ready for release yet.
First to the positives. I really liked Eve and Oliver. I enjoyed the premise of the runaway bride and the super rich and multi-faceted pretty boy. I also liked that you could get a glimpse into both of their thoughts thanks to the multi POV.
But. And this is a huge "but" which leads us to the negatives. I believe this book could have been great if only it had gone through a few more rounds of editing. Before you riot, let me explain:
Everyone basically has the same character. Everyone is witty, everyone is smart, everyone has a sharp tongue. At multiple points, conversations between two or more characters were so unclear and confusing that I genuinely didn't know who was saying what. It wasn't made clear in the context, and their individual voices were so similar that sometimes you just cannot tell who is supposed to be talking.
Next, I didn't understand Eve's sudden rejection of Oliver. She was the one who wanted a night with him and really pushed him towards it. Then when he comes back and gives her a way to solve all of her problems, she refuses...out of pride, I guess? And later when they have obvious chemistry and obviously want each other, she again refuses because....? I really don't know why. This happens on multiple occasions throughout the book as well. I always felt like I had skipped a few pages that gave reasons for the character's motivations. I assume it was meant to raise the tension, but all it did was to make me feel frustrated with the two.
Also, did you know that the book is called "No Romeo"? Because in case you didn't, the characters remind you every few pages. The first time, I thought it was cute that they said Oliver was no Romeo. But they ended up mentioning that so often that I wanted to throw the book across the room each time I saw those two words. At one point, it actually said "Oliver = no Romeo". Please, did nobody in editing think to have that changed?
These are just some of the things that annoyed and frustrated me. The saddest thing, as I said before, is that I really believe that this book could have been a great read. I just think that all of these things that I mentioned above should have been edited more. All of these are fixable complaints. Maybe my hopes were too high for this book, because I really enjoyed the premise. Or maybe this book just wasn't for me. It wasn't bad per se, it just had too many things that needed fixing in my opinion. If these are things that don't bother you, then you should definitely still give this book a try.
July 23, 2024
5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I always love a spicy contemporary romance that starts with a runaway bride, calling our her cheating fiance.
... then falling into the lap of a billionaire, gorgeous, British, rival of said ex? Even better.
You get so many amazing tropes in this one (some of the best in my opinion) and I literally devoured it in two days.
The MMC is such a delicious morally grey character and I am absolutely obsessed with him.
You get:
• Spicy
• Dual POV
• Contemporary Romance
• Runaway Bride
• Billionaire MMC
• One Night Stand
• Fake Dating
I highly recommend this one. The audiobook was just perfect! Available on August 6th!
I always love a spicy contemporary romance that starts with a runaway bride, calling our her cheating fiance.
... then falling into the lap of a billionaire, gorgeous, British, rival of said ex? Even better.
You get so many amazing tropes in this one (some of the best in my opinion) and I literally devoured it in two days.
The MMC is such a delicious morally grey character and I am absolutely obsessed with him.
You get:
• Spicy
• Dual POV
• Contemporary Romance
• Runaway Bride
• Billionaire MMC
• One Night Stand
• Fake Dating
I highly recommend this one. The audiobook was just perfect! Available on August 6th!
October 9, 2024
Disrupted by Awful Narration
I had to stop listening to this audiobook a few chapters in, and unfortunately, it wasn’t due to the story itself but because of the horrendous audio quality for the male character, Oliver. His voice sounded like a cheap AI simulation, with a twingy, robotic tone that was painfully distracting. Every time Oliver spoke, it became unbearably cringey, which completely pulled me out of the experience.
The poor quality of the narration ruined what might otherwise have been an enjoyable read. I couldn't continue listening and had to stop altogether. The robotic voice was so bad that I’ll need some time to clear it from my memory before giving the book another try—this time in written form, where I hope I can focus on the story without the auditory annoyance.
If you’re thinking about listening to this book, be warned: the narration may make it hard to appreciate the story. I'll reserve my final judgment for when I eventually read it, but for now, the audiobook experience was a major disappointment.
I had to stop listening to this audiobook a few chapters in, and unfortunately, it wasn’t due to the story itself but because of the horrendous audio quality for the male character, Oliver. His voice sounded like a cheap AI simulation, with a twingy, robotic tone that was painfully distracting. Every time Oliver spoke, it became unbearably cringey, which completely pulled me out of the experience.
The poor quality of the narration ruined what might otherwise have been an enjoyable read. I couldn't continue listening and had to stop altogether. The robotic voice was so bad that I’ll need some time to clear it from my memory before giving the book another try—this time in written form, where I hope I can focus on the story without the auditory annoyance.
If you’re thinking about listening to this book, be warned: the narration may make it hard to appreciate the story. I'll reserve my final judgment for when I eventually read it, but for now, the audiobook experience was a major disappointment.
August 23, 2024
cute plot points but a bit of a disappointment.
Not a fan of this authors, writing style. I am an avid reader who switches back-and-forth between the Kindle book and the audiobook and sometimes even doing both at the same time. This authors writing style Was very stream of consciousness sometimes. By that I mean hard to follow jumping topics or making references maybe that I was unfamiliar with. This often times left me confused and not clear on who was talking or what they were talking about. While I got the gist of the story and enjoyed the basic story line, When I examine deeper, I was left unsatisfied. Between the random details, comments, and References Leaving me confused, the lack of Background details and secondary character details, plus the jump past scenes that would have been better read as a scene instead of info dumping later, I just couldn’t fully enjoy this book as I wished to. Also for a character that was a vet that even spent time at work and out of work working with animals of all kinds there was a surprising lack of cute animal characters and interactions. Even Bo had a surprising lack of cute behavioral moments (apart from the most hilarious tonguing scene). Could have been so much better
Not a fan of this authors, writing style. I am an avid reader who switches back-and-forth between the Kindle book and the audiobook and sometimes even doing both at the same time. This authors writing style Was very stream of consciousness sometimes. By that I mean hard to follow jumping topics or making references maybe that I was unfamiliar with. This often times left me confused and not clear on who was talking or what they were talking about. While I got the gist of the story and enjoyed the basic story line, When I examine deeper, I was left unsatisfied. Between the random details, comments, and References Leaving me confused, the lack of Background details and secondary character details, plus the jump past scenes that would have been better read as a scene instead of info dumping later, I just couldn’t fully enjoy this book as I wished to. Also for a character that was a vet that even spent time at work and out of work working with animals of all kinds there was a surprising lack of cute animal characters and interactions. Even Bo had a surprising lack of cute behavioral moments (apart from the most hilarious tonguing scene). Could have been so much better
December 25, 2025
The Billionaire and the Vet
Evie found herself running away on her wedding day right into the car of Oliver. Bantering was top tier with so many giggle moments. Oliver played the role of the villain well but turned out to be a true Romeo. Oliver’s heart was on ice until he met the unforgettable Evie who blew his socks off. Talk about to going the extra mile to get the girl. The tabloid moments were super funny, lol a little birdie. Bo the dog is legendary. Mental health came up briefly but I enjoyed how Oliver got to reconnect with his sister. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves international love. I gave this book 4 stars because it was funny yet romantic.
Evie found herself running away on her wedding day right into the car of Oliver. Bantering was top tier with so many giggle moments. Oliver played the role of the villain well but turned out to be a true Romeo. Oliver’s heart was on ice until he met the unforgettable Evie who blew his socks off. Talk about to going the extra mile to get the girl. The tabloid moments were super funny, lol a little birdie. Bo the dog is legendary. Mental health came up briefly but I enjoyed how Oliver got to reconnect with his sister. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves international love. I gave this book 4 stars because it was funny yet romantic.
July 11, 2024
No Romeo represents Donna Alam at her very best. It is replete with humour, sexiness and her lovely style of writing. I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion and invested in the story and characters within the first couple of chapters.
The FMC, Eve, is one of my favourite Donna Alam characters to date. Eve is not a damsel in distress. She’s feisty, funny and takes full ownership of her life and decisions. She’s a FMC to be admired on all levels. That is not to say that Oliver, the MMC, is any less appealing. He is a wonderful mix of arrogance and charm. You will root for this couple from the get go. The banter between Eve and Oliver is off the charts and take no prisoners. The chemistry between them is explosive and the book balances the arc of the storyline with spice perfectly.
The side characters are built into this book in a wonderful way that supports the plot but makes you want to know their stories too. I am assuming (I hope not incorrectly) that Oliver’s business partners/friends Matt and Fin will have follow-up stories in this series, but I would also like to see what happens with Nara and future cameos by Nora would be a delight.
After months of ‘meh’ reads and a myriad of DNFs, it was wonderful to be sucked into this book hook, line and sinker. I raced through it because I was enjoying it so much but conversely, never wanted it to end. Kudos to Donna Alam for writing such a wonderful romance.
My thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
The FMC, Eve, is one of my favourite Donna Alam characters to date. Eve is not a damsel in distress. She’s feisty, funny and takes full ownership of her life and decisions. She’s a FMC to be admired on all levels. That is not to say that Oliver, the MMC, is any less appealing. He is a wonderful mix of arrogance and charm. You will root for this couple from the get go. The banter between Eve and Oliver is off the charts and take no prisoners. The chemistry between them is explosive and the book balances the arc of the storyline with spice perfectly.
The side characters are built into this book in a wonderful way that supports the plot but makes you want to know their stories too. I am assuming (I hope not incorrectly) that Oliver’s business partners/friends Matt and Fin will have follow-up stories in this series, but I would also like to see what happens with Nara and future cameos by Nora would be a delight.
After months of ‘meh’ reads and a myriad of DNFs, it was wonderful to be sucked into this book hook, line and sinker. I raced through it because I was enjoying it so much but conversely, never wanted it to end. Kudos to Donna Alam for writing such a wonderful romance.
My thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
July 27, 2024
Tropes: Runaway bride, forced proximity, fake relationship, ex's rival, hate to love you, billionaire, and blackmail
Favorite Quote: "Harder," I rasp, trying to pull him closer. "What makes you think I take orders?"
About: A runaway bride falls into the lap of her cheating fiance's business rival. Oliver needs revenge. Evie needs a new way to get her visa. Falling in love with a billionaire can be difficult while he's blackmailing you. But not impossible.
This book got me out of my reading slump and I could hardly put it down! From their meeting to the end, I fell more and more in love with Eve and Oliver with each page. I especially loved the tension Donna Alam created. This book felt like a slow burn even as the couple found creative ways and places to be intimate.
The dialogue is what truly sold me though. It was quick, witty, and moved the story and relationship along. It was very hard to pick a favorite quote from numerous highlights! While I sometimes lost who was talking due to the speed, a little backtracking was all that was needed to get back on track.
I would devour stories about the other characters, particularly Oliver's friends. I hope those are next!
Thank you, Donna Alam, Net Galley, and Montlake for an advanced copy of No Romeo.
Favorite Quote: "Harder," I rasp, trying to pull him closer. "What makes you think I take orders?"
About: A runaway bride falls into the lap of her cheating fiance's business rival. Oliver needs revenge. Evie needs a new way to get her visa. Falling in love with a billionaire can be difficult while he's blackmailing you. But not impossible.
This book got me out of my reading slump and I could hardly put it down! From their meeting to the end, I fell more and more in love with Eve and Oliver with each page. I especially loved the tension Donna Alam created. This book felt like a slow burn even as the couple found creative ways and places to be intimate.
The dialogue is what truly sold me though. It was quick, witty, and moved the story and relationship along. It was very hard to pick a favorite quote from numerous highlights! While I sometimes lost who was talking due to the speed, a little backtracking was all that was needed to get back on track.
I would devour stories about the other characters, particularly Oliver's friends. I hope those are next!
Thank you, Donna Alam, Net Galley, and Montlake for an advanced copy of No Romeo.
January 13, 2025
DNF- the writing. horrible. SORRY but like no it’s so bad. i literally didn’t understand where the chat feeds where, what they were doing, how they were touching each other like if all didn’t make sense. i LOVED the opening scene/ first chapter like yasss queen drop that cheating scum bag but like i literally made it to page 53 and im over this shit. and while reading the other reviews we don’t even get to know who gave her those anonymous text messages ???? like i was hoping we’d find out it was oliver but ok apparently not ?! idk not my cup of tea and won’t be coming back to read another one of her books
October 2, 2024
Almost DNF’d this one. Take 100 pages out of the middle and it would be better. Decided to power through for the Goodreads goals.
October 28, 2024
hard dnf — @12%
what in the brilliant fuck am i reading? a snoozefest that’s what
what in the brilliant fuck am i reading? a snoozefest that’s what
August 28, 2024
2.5 stars
August 29, 2024
Unfortunately, this author is not for me. I could give exactly the same review I did for "The Gamble" for this book. There is not a strong enough plot to warrant the length and 8+ reading hours. It is boring with a lot of dialogue, which once again is so messy I lost track of who was saying what. I assume Ms Alam is American or maybe Canadian, and I understand what she is trying to do - banter and British cynacism, but nobody but the British get our wit and sarcasm, and it really does not work in this dribble of dialogue that clutters the book. It is obvious almost immediately that Lucy is Oliver's sister. The plot is weak, and Evie, starts off tough with how she sleeps with Oliver on her wedding night, then spends the next 20 odd chapters telling him there will be no sex in the relationship - it would have been better if she had kept to her feisty self and would have been more in character to sleep with him for her own needs. The last 5 chapters made me give it a two star as they were better and more concise, but this book could have been wrapped up in half the time, and with a lot less meaningless dialogue.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2024
No Romeo is a billionaire romance with a unique meet cute 🥰. From the very beginning, our FMC Eve had me laughing out loud as she not only left her cheating ex-fiancee at the altar but also hilariously exposed his bad deeds to the congregation of guests! Our runaway bride then hops into the first car she sees to avoid her angry ex and lands right on the lap of his nemesis, Oliver. Oliver is a morally grey, arrogant billionaire who’s met his match with the feisty, sweet and charming Eve.
These two had such palpable chemistry. It radiated off the page! And don’t get me started on the spice! 🥵 Is it hot in here or is it just this story?!
I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their connection. With the amount of romance novels out there, it’s nice to see a unique approach to a popular trope. It was a breath of fresh air! This is a new-to-me author and one I’ll definitely read more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
These two had such palpable chemistry. It radiated off the page! And don’t get me started on the spice! 🥵 Is it hot in here or is it just this story?!
I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and their connection. With the amount of romance novels out there, it’s nice to see a unique approach to a popular trope. It was a breath of fresh air! This is a new-to-me author and one I’ll definitely read more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
May 30, 2024
No Romeo was ALMOST a DNF for me. However, I am so glad I finished this book. The character development was incredible, and the different point of views really gave insight to the thoughts of each character (which I found important for a character as emotionally complex as Oliver).
By the end of this book, I truly enjoyed the special romance between Eve and Oliver! 🩷
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.
By the end of this book, I truly enjoyed the special romance between Eve and Oliver! 🩷
Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2024
A mixed bag
I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to wind up rating this one. It started strong- I loved that she called out the cheating fiancé literally at the altar 😂 And it went viral! The media clips sprinkled throughout were great.
Evie runs from her wedding and jumps into a random car, landing in the lap of her fiancé’s nemesis. As you do. He is no hero, and the author makes sure we know this by telling us over and over ad nauseam. We also get the same reminders about how much Evie loathes rich people. Oliver seizes the opportunity to use Evie to exact his revenge on her now ex fiancé.
This book is almost 500 pages long, and I felt every single one for the middle section. I debated about skipping ahead, but waffled because i didn’t want to miss anything important. News flash: a whole lot could have been edited out and not changed the storyline at all. The thrift shop scene? Why? Her best friend Riley is mostly frivolous also, never really an important part, barely mentioned , and then just disappeared. It has so many repetitive scenes of their bipolar bickering , then sexual tension, then angry, then smiling…. Wash, rinse, repeat. I definitely lost interest and wanted it to be over in the middle. He was very much “I think I’m developing feelings…… but I can’t. I’m no hero” then I’ll be a jerk to remind myself and push her away. And she was “oh I’m so mad/hurt…. But look at that face! ::swoon::”. A number of times I thought to myself that it was no wonder both these men were so easily able to take advantage of her. Fortunately the ending picked back up for me.
There were some unanswered questions also, which irritate me. Who sent the “anonymous texts” to her the day of her wedding? Was it Oliver somehow? She has a best friend who is a frivolous part of the story, but was unable to be in the wedding due to an injury. The new maid of honor is someone who wasn’t even really a friend, but she learns via the texts has been sleeping with her fiancé. How did she get the maid of honor job if they weren’t really friends? So random. Her parents were horrid humans. It would have been nice to see an “eff you” send off to them. Maybe send a wedding announcement and a note that they’re not invited since they couldn’t be bothered last time 😂
So overall a mixed bag. I was sure in the middle that I was going to rate it more poorly but by the time I got done, I decided I felt much better about it after all.
I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to wind up rating this one. It started strong- I loved that she called out the cheating fiancé literally at the altar 😂 And it went viral! The media clips sprinkled throughout were great.
Evie runs from her wedding and jumps into a random car, landing in the lap of her fiancé’s nemesis. As you do. He is no hero, and the author makes sure we know this by telling us over and over ad nauseam. We also get the same reminders about how much Evie loathes rich people. Oliver seizes the opportunity to use Evie to exact his revenge on her now ex fiancé.
This book is almost 500 pages long, and I felt every single one for the middle section. I debated about skipping ahead, but waffled because i didn’t want to miss anything important. News flash: a whole lot could have been edited out and not changed the storyline at all. The thrift shop scene? Why? Her best friend Riley is mostly frivolous also, never really an important part, barely mentioned , and then just disappeared. It has so many repetitive scenes of their bipolar bickering , then sexual tension, then angry, then smiling…. Wash, rinse, repeat. I definitely lost interest and wanted it to be over in the middle. He was very much “I think I’m developing feelings…… but I can’t. I’m no hero” then I’ll be a jerk to remind myself and push her away. And she was “oh I’m so mad/hurt…. But look at that face! ::swoon::”. A number of times I thought to myself that it was no wonder both these men were so easily able to take advantage of her. Fortunately the ending picked back up for me.
There were some unanswered questions also, which irritate me. Who sent the “anonymous texts” to her the day of her wedding? Was it Oliver somehow? She has a best friend who is a frivolous part of the story, but was unable to be in the wedding due to an injury. The new maid of honor is someone who wasn’t even really a friend, but she learns via the texts has been sleeping with her fiancé. How did she get the maid of honor job if they weren’t really friends? So random. Her parents were horrid humans. It would have been nice to see an “eff you” send off to them. Maybe send a wedding announcement and a note that they’re not invited since they couldn’t be bothered last time 😂
So overall a mixed bag. I was sure in the middle that I was going to rate it more poorly but by the time I got done, I decided I felt much better about it after all.
September 16, 2024
This was a great read but VERY open door romance.
I loved Eve as a character - animal loving, loyal, and a go-getter. I also found a great connection in reading about a female lead that has anger instead of a crying reaction to large emotional situations. I loved how passionate she got over her life and that she knew her own life took precedent over what could be just a temporary relationship. I also love that she recognized she never gave Oliver any chance to explain things, but she wasn’t running back to him just for the off chance he had a good explanation. I really enjoyed her wit and humor, the continuous banter.
I had a few issues with Oliver’s more corrupt side and there were moments he was too selfish and then suddenly self deprecating that didn’t really seem to fit well together. The large self absorption and general disregard for hurting others (Eve) was also a little difficult to stomach. I typically enjoy a light/dark male character who also has a strong moral code to balance it out. I was occasionally confused if he could really be a plausible match for a strong (and good) lead like Eve when he was more dark than light.
The ending felt pretty abrupt and their resolving conversation in the end felt like it lacked substance in exchange for an open door scene. Following that I really feel like it was such a fast and disregarded wrap up to a slow paced (but also adrenaline pumping) book.
I enjoyed the read and the unique personalities were a breath of fresh air. I would like to read some other books from this author! So it was worth the read, and recommendation overall.
This book was provided freely in exchange for a review with the NetGalley program. Thank you to NetGalley and Donna Alam!
I loved Eve as a character - animal loving, loyal, and a go-getter. I also found a great connection in reading about a female lead that has anger instead of a crying reaction to large emotional situations. I loved how passionate she got over her life and that she knew her own life took precedent over what could be just a temporary relationship. I also love that she recognized she never gave Oliver any chance to explain things, but she wasn’t running back to him just for the off chance he had a good explanation. I really enjoyed her wit and humor, the continuous banter.
I had a few issues with Oliver’s more corrupt side and there were moments he was too selfish and then suddenly self deprecating that didn’t really seem to fit well together. The large self absorption and general disregard for hurting others (Eve) was also a little difficult to stomach. I typically enjoy a light/dark male character who also has a strong moral code to balance it out. I was occasionally confused if he could really be a plausible match for a strong (and good) lead like Eve when he was more dark than light.
The ending felt pretty abrupt and their resolving conversation in the end felt like it lacked substance in exchange for an open door scene. Following that I really feel like it was such a fast and disregarded wrap up to a slow paced (but also adrenaline pumping) book.
I enjoyed the read and the unique personalities were a breath of fresh air. I would like to read some other books from this author! So it was worth the read, and recommendation overall.
This book was provided freely in exchange for a review with the NetGalley program. Thank you to NetGalley and Donna Alam!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2024
I was hooked from the beginning!!
The banter was amazing!! I live for these witty replies.
things I loved: the meet cute!! Oh my!! Oliver was off the charts from the beginning!!
Eve was such a strong, funny character! All second characters were amazing and I can’t wait to read the books about FInn and Matt!
The writing was epic! I didn’t skip a second of this book!
What I didn’t like:
Tiny (but a lot) of miscommunication and that’s always annoying!!! It’s not even miscommunication, more not telling the other one!!
The fact that they do the devil dance the fist time they met… I wish they had waited for their feelings to build, weirdly enough I am not a fan of slow burn romance but would have loved for these two to go slow 🤣
✅meet cute
✅grumpy/sunshine
✅hot billionaire
✅ strong independent MFC
❌no cheating / no OW (yes trust me with Lucy 😉)
❌ small 3rd part break up, but hey he grovelled!!
I would say 3.5/5 for 🌶️ - it’s clearly not a book about that!
The banter was amazing!! I live for these witty replies.
things I loved: the meet cute!! Oh my!! Oliver was off the charts from the beginning!!
Eve was such a strong, funny character! All second characters were amazing and I can’t wait to read the books about FInn and Matt!
The writing was epic! I didn’t skip a second of this book!
What I didn’t like:
Tiny (but a lot) of miscommunication and that’s always annoying!!! It’s not even miscommunication, more not telling the other one!!
The fact that they do the devil dance the fist time they met… I wish they had waited for their feelings to build, weirdly enough I am not a fan of slow burn romance but would have loved for these two to go slow 🤣
✅meet cute
✅grumpy/sunshine
✅hot billionaire
✅ strong independent MFC
❌no cheating / no OW (yes trust me with Lucy 😉)
❌ small 3rd part break up, but hey he grovelled!!
I would say 3.5/5 for 🌶️ - it’s clearly not a book about that!
October 14, 2025
DNF 27%
Evie is just too annoying for me …
The first chapter was amazing with her telling off her fiancé at their wedding… then she runs out..
And she just happens to jump in the car of a gorgeous rich man (Oliver) who just happens to hate said fiancé — OK so I suspended my belief there—
it was very cute, witty banter… I was laughing when she complimented his beautiful eyelashes— she basically begs him to spend the night with her.. he fights it a little bit, but they wind up back at his hotel and spend the night together—
Here’s what pisses me off … Evie is going to lose her work visa. Oliver propositions her to spend three months with him. He will help her get all of her stuff back from her fiancé’s apartment. He will help her keep her visa and she’s attracted to him.. he wants to get revenge on her ex fiancé and he wants her help doing it but she will mostly benefit..it’s a win-win situation.. she refuses… He finds her the next day, asks her again… She refuses… He finds her at her veterinary clinic the day after that he asks her again… She refuses again—
At this point, I wanted her to lose her work visa and have to go back to Connecticut —
Evie is just too annoying for me …
The first chapter was amazing with her telling off her fiancé at their wedding… then she runs out..
And she just happens to jump in the car of a gorgeous rich man (Oliver) who just happens to hate said fiancé — OK so I suspended my belief there—
it was very cute, witty banter… I was laughing when she complimented his beautiful eyelashes— she basically begs him to spend the night with her.. he fights it a little bit, but they wind up back at his hotel and spend the night together—
Here’s what pisses me off … Evie is going to lose her work visa. Oliver propositions her to spend three months with him. He will help her get all of her stuff back from her fiancé’s apartment. He will help her keep her visa and she’s attracted to him.. he wants to get revenge on her ex fiancé and he wants her help doing it but she will mostly benefit..it’s a win-win situation.. she refuses… He finds her the next day, asks her again… She refuses… He finds her at her veterinary clinic the day after that he asks her again… She refuses again—
At this point, I wanted her to lose her work visa and have to go back to Connecticut —
October 8, 2025
4.75 ⭐️
I really enjoyed this one. It had so much more on offer than I expected- including free audio in KU.
The banter and frivolity between Oliver and Evie was so much fun. I loved how she totally captured his attention with her personality as much as her body.
The premise was a good one too, I haven’t read many like this lately, let alone a Veterinarian MC.
I’m looking forward to the rest of the series now also.
I really enjoyed this one. It had so much more on offer than I expected- including free audio in KU.
The banter and frivolity between Oliver and Evie was so much fun. I loved how she totally captured his attention with her personality as much as her body.
The premise was a good one too, I haven’t read many like this lately, let alone a Veterinarian MC.
I’m looking forward to the rest of the series now also.
October 7, 2025
No Romeo was chaos, spice, and billionaire drama from start to finish. He’s not a nice guy. He’s driven, calculating, and tells you exactly who he is from the jump. So can you really be mad when he acts like it? Manipulative? Yep. Obsessed? Definitely. Do we care? Absolutely not. Toxic, but make it hot. 😌🔥
3.5⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
3.5⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
reviews-say-no
August 29, 2024I’m skipping this one. The reviews are mixed and while I like the blurb I’m not impressed by the mistakes. The FB ad had a mistake and this is from the blurb.
Oliver offers me a help him ruin my ex in exchange…
I’m not holding out much hope for the editing in the actual book.
Oliver offers me a help him ruin my ex in exchange…
I’m not holding out much hope for the editing in the actual book.
Read
September 5, 2024I was excited to start this one and was feeling it for the most part until … around 75% the vibe just changed and I got bored with outcome and all the originality was lost. Skimmed to an unenthusiastic finish.
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